Better Off Forgotten
by the12thcookie
Summary: Seventeen year old Max goes to boarding school for a dose of normal. But when complete stranger Nick Ride seems more familiar to her then any of her own friends or family, her only idea is that her entire life must be a lie. Action, and Fax.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there! I just needed to mention that the first few chapters might seem ridiculously random, but they'll fall into place later. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

"Who's ready to raise the roof?" The DJ yells over the cacophony of noise in the club. Cheers resound from each corner of the room, and he enthusiastically joins in. The DJ puts yet another sucky song on, and everyone cheers and starts to grind on each other.

I roll my eyes. While everyone else continues to dirty dance, I watch them act like drunken idiots from my perch at the bar. I don't even know why I bother to come anymore. It was a mixture of wanting to make my friends happy and needing to get out of the house, but I hated the atmosphere in the club. The guys were so sexist, and the girls were all too obliging to 'get low' and wear ridiculously slutty clothing.

Don't get me wrong- I'm not a total tomboy. But you would never catch me wearing a skirt to school. I am perfectly content in a pair of jeans and a tee shirt, although I would put on a blouse or something some days. The only reason I am dressed up like a total prostitute is because of my sister, Brooke. She's a year younger than me, but still manages to get into all the clubs, even at 16. She had forced me into a tight red slinky thing that had barely covered my butt.

Then again, I wasn't particularly resisting. It was my last week here before I left for boarding school, and I was pretty much doing everything my friends wanted me to, spending all my time with them. I had insisted that I go to boarding school for my junior year because I was sick and tired of my parents and school and life, in general.

Jeb was a famous scientist, and was insanely rich. We barely got to see him, and although I had no quarrel with him, I didn't love him like I would love a father. Anne was a different story. She was a total OCD neat freak, but a nice person at heart. She was probably the most girly person I knew, and with such contrasting personalities, we couldn't get along. She was all about male dominance and even went as far as to discourage me from joining karate, calling it a 'man's work.' If she had her way, I would sit at home and do needlework all day. I'll bet you can guess how well it went when she told me as much.

Jeb had saved the day then, and I went on to get a brown belt in karate. But Jeb was around less and less nowadays, and I was sick to the core of Anne. Not particularly thrilled with either of my parents, I begged them to let me join a boarding school. I had finally gotten my wish- I was moving to Winthrop Heights Academy on Friday.

"Come on, Max!" Drew calls from her place in the middle of the mosh pit. She looks absolutely gorgeous, of course, with her long, shiny, straight black hair and tan skin. She's dancing with some guy who looks at least seven or eight years older than her, and is way past a five o'clock shadow. I shake my head from my seat, refusing to get up and dance. It was bad enough I looked like a harlot; I didn't need to act like one too.

Drew shakes her head disappointedly before vanishing in the throng of people. Sighing, I turn to the bartender. His name is Joe, and he knows me pretty well, since every time I come here I just sit by the bar the whole time.

"Water, please." I say, trying not to gag at the smell of beer. I think alcohol is disgusting. I can tolerate a sip of wine, but even just a cup of beer will get me far past tipsy, not to mention majorly hung over in the morning. I had only tried it once, but I have pretty much sworn off of it, because I hated that feeling of not having complete control.

"Just a second, Max." He says, moving behind the wall to grab the water. He tosses me a sealed bottle, and I'm glad because everyone spikes everything at this place. Taking a drink, I tap my fingers to the beat of whatever ridiculous song is playing. The boy sitting beside me turns to face me, grinning.

"Do you play?" He asks. His blond hair is cropped close to his head, but the look suits him. He looks familiar, with his green eyes and crooked smile, but I'm positive that I don't know him.

"Play what?" I reply.

He nods towards my finger, which are still drumming out the tempo. "The drums, do you play?"

"Oh. No, I don't. I tried to learn the guitar for a few weeks, but I was just not dedicated enough."

"Bummer, we need a new drummer for our band. I'm Jake, by the way." He says, extending his arm.

"Max." I say, shaking his hand. His raises his eyebrows at my name, but thankfully doesn't comment on it. Everyone at school thinks it's hilarious that Drew and I both have boy's names, and are best friends. My name stands for Maxima (what were my parents thinking?) and her's for Andrea.

"So what do you do for fun, then, if you don't play any instruments?" Jakes asks. His friend behind him looks slightly miffed at being ditched for a girl. I hold back a smile as I respond.

"I run track, play soccer, and dance."

"So come you're not out there dancing right now?" He juts his chin out towards the center of the floor, where the alcohol has set in and everyone's making a fool of themselves.

"That is not dancing." I say, and even I can hear the disgust in my voice. "That's…"

"Getting it on, yeah." He finishes for me. "Why are you here? It's obvious you don't like it much."

I gesture helplessly to Drew and the rest of my friends 'getting in on,' as he so aptly put. "I wanted to get out of the house, and my friends dragged me here. What's with all the questions?"

"Just curious. You're beautiful, by the way."

I squirm under his earnest gaze. I hate it when people say things like that, because I never know how to respond. "Thanks." I say, still fidgeting. Jake seems to sense that he's made me uncomfortable, because he moves the conversation to less dangerous waters immediately.

"Do you want to get out of here? We could go get some ice cream or something. There's a place next door." He suggests, and I hesitate, torn between wanting to go and not trusting a stranger.

"Actually, I just want to go home. I don't feel that great." The minute I say it, my left eye twitches, like whenever I lie, but I do want to leave.

Jake nods understandingly. "I'll walk you home. You're going to get attacked walking around like that. I'll keep you safe." He looks at my revealing, tight dress and heels.

I nod, even though I hate the sexist notion that I can't keep myself safe. I hadn't been looking forward to walking in the cold, dark streets by myself. That was yet another good thing about boarding school- I would be leaving disgustingly cold New Jersey to go to good ol' sunny Florida.

We both get up to tell our friends where we're going.

"I'm going home, Drew!" I shout, trying to make myself heard over the blaring music.

"By yourself? It's not safe!" She yells back.

"Jake's walking me." I don't elaborate on who Jake is, because I pretty much make a new friend at the bar every time, someone with an aversion to sluttiness like me.

"Be careful! Text me when you get home!" Drew points to her phone like I'm dumb. I roll my eyes and nod; though I'm secretly glad she cares.

I meet up with Jake by the front door.

"Let's go." I say. The icy air hits me the second we step out, and I shiver, wishing I had brought a jacket.

"Here." Jake says, shrugging his own coat off and wrapping it around me. I smile at him gratefully, tugging it on. It's far too big for me, but still doesn't cover most of legs, and I'm still cold.

I hear a wolf-whistle to my right and I turn instantly.

"Hey baby, want to make a few hundred bucks?" The man winks and takes a long gulp out of his beer bottle. I force myself to keep walking. I might have been able to take him down, but my brown belt was no match for him and the six people around him.

When I turn back around, I don't see Jake. "Jake?" I call, turning around entirely once, twice, three times before realizing he wasn't here anymore.

"Right here, Max." He whispers out of no where, and I whirl around once more, trying to figure out where he is. And then my world goes black, but it's because somebody's wrapped something over my head. I try to scream, but I realize I'm about to pass out, and don't have enough energy. My last thought before I'm knocked out is that my legs are still cold- couldn't they have wrapped something around my legs instead?

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><p><strong>AN- So waddaya think? Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

When I wake up, I instantly realize that I'm in a hospital. The crystal clear scent of disinfectant, the cold metal and the white walled rooms aren't particularly pleasant for me. Anne tells me that I've always hated hospitals, ever since I was young, but there's this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that there's more to it.

I try to sit up but don't have the energy to do it. Instead, I turn my head from side to side, trying to figure out where I am, and why I'm here. All I see is white. White walls, white floor, white roof. The white is so reflective that I can barely make out the corners of the room or the door, which has no visible handle that I can see. When I look down, I see that I'm strapped to a- you guessed it- white cot.

My body felt like one big giant bruise. I couldn't sit up, or move my arm, or even wiggle my toes. You might be surprised that that actually bothered me, but try to imagine not being able to wiggle your toes. Devastating, right? The things you take for granted.

So I lay there, flat on my back, trying to remember how I had gotten here. All I remembered was going clubbing with my friends. Maybe someone had spiked my drink? But the minute I thought it, I knew it was impossible, because I had only taken one drink from a sealed water bottle. The last thing I could remember was meeting Jake and walking home with him.

Or, actually, I didn't walk home with him. I walked with him until…something happened. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember that something, but I knew that whatever brought me here must have happened then. DREW! I suddenly remembered. I had never texted her back, so she would have been worried sick by now. She would call the cops, or something, and they'd find me. I forced myself to ignore the pain as I look down to see if my phone was still in my dress pocket.

I realized I was no longer in my red dress, but in a white tee and jeans. I was partly glad to be out of the appalling outfit and partly embarrassed and angry that somebody else had changed me. My thoughts are interrupted by the door opening.

"Jake?" I gasp as my friend walks through the door. He stands awkwardly at the foot of my bed, shifting.

"Uh, it's Ari." He says, and when I take a second look at him, I see that he has blue eyes and looks quite different from last night.

"Then…" I trail off, my eyebrows knit together is confusion.

"Jake was um, a disguise, you could say." He fidgets, never looking me in the eye.

"_You_ kidnapped me?" I shriek, my voice rising in pitch. Jake…Ari…whoever he was, he winces.

"Not exactly…"

"Then _what_? Where am I? Why am I here?" I try to cross my arms but still can't move them, so I resort to huffing obnoxiously and glaring at him.

Ari looks utterly confused as to what to say or do. Lucky for him, the door opens again, and this time, Jeb walks in.

"Maximum, dear!" He greets, smiling widely. I stare at him, open mouthed, until my mouth figures out how to talk again.

"It's Max. Or Maxima. Are you seriously in on this abduction?" I can hear the incredulous tone in my own voice.

Jeb smiles again, but I continue to glare at him. "Honey, we're not kidnapping you; we're performing a medical procedure, for safety. When you were little, you had some pretty traumatic things happen to you. And that made you become reclusive, so we wiped your memory of those events so that your beautiful self could shine past them."

"What happened to me?" I breathed, genuinely curious. Then, I fully understood the rest of his words.

"WHAT!" I screeched. Jeb and Ari flinch. "You _WIPED_ my memory? You idiot! I deserve to remember what happened in my own freaking life! Are you even my dad, or is that made up too?"

Jeb's grin has fallen off his face, replaced with a grim expression. "Your name was Maximum Ride. You were an experiment of science. I am your real dad. We didn't wipe your memory, we used psychological techniques to usher those memories to the back of temporal lobe, so you wouldn't recall the memory. Then, we repeated what we wanted you to believe over thousands of times, so that you would believe that your life was real."

"…How much of my life _is_ real, Jeb?" I say bitterly. Jeb recoils, both at the bitterness in my voice and the use of his name, instead of calling him Daddy like normal.

"The past two years, Max." He whispers.

Two years. Two years were real, and everything else was fake. Learning how to ride a bike, blowing out candles at my fifth birthday party, FAKE. Going to dance lessons, my first karate tournament, FAKE. My little sister's birth, first day of middle school, FAKE.

My head spun dizzily. Imagine being told that your entire life wasn't real, that the memories were false, but still being able to sharply recall your baby sister's face, and the smell of sweat in the karate center.

"Why tell me now?" My voice doesn't sound angry, or hateful. It sounds hollow, and broken, which is worse.

"We're going to wipe your memory now, too, Maximum." Jeb says, his expression a mix of unhappiness and determination.

Oh yeah, Jebby? Not if I have anything to freaking say about it.

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><p>"So, that's it? She won't remember anything?" The first voice rumbles.<p>

"Sh! Not so loudly, you fool!" The second voice is clearly female, and admonishing.

"Isn't she completely under?"

"No. It should be wearing off, so she probably can hear us."

"Oh. Sorry."

I force myself to open my eyes. I'm in a white walled room, and the white is so reflective that I can barely make out the corners of the room or the door, which has no visible handle that I can see. I'm lying in a cot, and the voices must be from next door or something, because nobody else is in the room.

So they're probably not talking about me.

I see that there is a plate of food on the floor next to me and I grab it hungrily. I'm ravenous- I haven't eaten since…since dinner before going clubbing with my friends! But why am I here? I've never been in this place before, although it reminds me of some sort of hospital.

I take one bite of my sandwich and realize that it's drugged. The sleepiness courses through me like a poison, and I make no effort to resist it.

Within seconds, I'm asleep.

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><p>"Maaaaaax!" Drew shouts. I open my eyes blearily. I blink a few times, and I realize I'm in Drew's house, which is really my second home.<p>

"Ugh, good morning to you, too." I say, too tired to worry about coming across as rude.

"Good afternoon is more like it! I thought you didn't drink?"

What is she talking about? "I don't. Did I come to your house after we went clubbing? I don't remember that."

Drew rolls her eyes. "Yeah, because you were drunk. You said you didn't feel great so we were going to my house and you called Anne and everything, and then you passed out the minute you got here."

"Uh, weird. Was I sitting with Jake by the bar?" I say.

"Jake Rickson? Of course not! He's in Arizona right now, dummy!"

"No, this kid I just met yesterday. Um, Jake, with blond hair and…" I trail off. I had meant to say what colored eyes he had, but I couldn't recall his face anymore.

Drew looks at me, concerned. "Max, you danced with us the whole night. And then you came straight to my house. You're still in your dress!" I look down and see that I indeed am still wearing that sleazy thing.

I rub my eyes. "Someone must have slipped something in my drink or something, because I don't remember any of that, but I had the weirdest dream."

"Oh yeah? What about?"

"Funny enough, I can't think of it anymore. It's at the tip of my tongue, but I…I don't know."

Drew rolls her eyes again, but it's not at me this time. "I hate that! I had this amazing dream one time, about me and this guy and we're climbing the Himalayas together or something, and I…."

As I start a conversation with Drew, I begin to change into jeans. I take them from her closet without really asking, and it's not like she minds. They're probably mine in the first place. Half of her closet is my clothes, although our dressing styles are far from similar.

"Did you think of that dream yet, Max?" Drew asks me.

I frown. "What dream?"

Drew snorts in disbelief. "I swear, you are being so weird today. Are you on crack?"

As I vehemently argue that no, I do not do drugs, I can't shake off the feeling that I'm missing something really very important.

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><p><strong>AN- You likey? Me likey. :)**

**Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

**Since a couple people were wondering, Fang will come into the story, and pretty soon. Maybe in about 2 or 3 more chapters.**

**Max's POV:**

Drew rolls her window down. "Bye, Max!" She calls from her car. I wave from my driveway to show that I heard her.

She begins to roll the window up, stops and rolls it back down. "Hey, I'm picking you up at 2 to get ready for Sammie's party."

"WHAT!"I screech. I walk down my driveway and stop in front of her car. "Drew, I HATE Sammie, and she hates me! Why are we going to her party?"

"Ugh, I know, but she invited _everyone_ to her party and it's the perfect time to break hearts and announce that you're leaving."

Do you see the logic behind that? Because I don't. "I wasn't planning on telling everyone."

Drew rolls her eyes. Has anyone else noticed that she does this far too often around me? "You were just not going to show up and leave me to answer everyone's questions? How about NO. You're coming to the party if I have to drag you there myself, biatch! And break Jake Rickson's heart, please! God, I hate that kid."

Drew and Jake Rickson dated for 5 months, which is a pretty long time to be in a high school relationship. They were super serious about it, too, until Jake broke up with Drew saying that she wouldn't let him get in her pants. Apparently, he thought that I would, because Drew tells me his exact words were something along the lines of, 'I'm wasting my time dating you when I could be off banging that Max chick.'

Real classy, Jake.

The next day at school, I went up and slapped him, but he thought I was just doing it because Drew and I were best friends. I hooked him up with a girl who I paid to go out with him. The girl dumped him in a week and started dating his other ex-girlfriend. Talk about making a statement. The entire school made fun of Jake for months about it! Drew got over him incredibly fast, and started dating a guy named Blake within 2 weeks. Sure, it was a rebound, but the entire school now knows that if you mess with one of us, the other will _hurt_ you.

"I thought he was in Arizona?" I say.

"He's going to go to Sammie's party because it's like the event of the year. I'm pretty sure his plane lands at 12, and since guys don't take as much time to get ready, I'll bet you he'll be at Sammie's party with a pack of beer to spike the punch." Drew snorts. She believes in getting drunk about us much as I do, although she doesn't mind drinking a little alcohol, whereas I refuse is entirely.

I smile eerily. "Alright, I'll come to Sammie's party."

Drew winks. "Jake Rickson, eat your heart out."

I wave bye to her and enter my house. The door is unlocked, and I see Anne in the kitchen baking.

"Good morning, Max! Did you have fun with Drew?" She asks pleasantly, pulling a pan of brownies out of the oven.

I nod, walking over to her and snatching up a piece of delicious goodness. "Yeah. I'm going a party again today. Drew's picking me up at 2."

"Max, we're supposed to be having a family dinner today."

I raise one eyebrow. "Is Daddy coming home?" Anne shakes her head. "Isn't Brooke sleeping over at Casey's?"

Anne nods, slowly and unhappily, knowing where I'm going with this. "Alright Max, you can go. Just don't spend the night again, okay? I need to talk to you about some stuff."

"Sure thing, mom." I grab one last brownie before running up the stairs to my room. There's nothing wrong with Anne, but she's just too…nice, and too girly. Sometimes, though, I really like her, because I can tell her everything and anything, and she always knows the right thing to say.

"Hey shrimp!" I yell as I pass my sister's door.

"Hey dorkface! I didn't know you were home!" She yells back. This is just our way of love- name calling and screaming. It's more fun than always going 'Oh, sweetest sister of mine!' anyways.

I close my door and hook my phone up to my speakers. I didn't see the point of getting an iPod, because I could download music onto my phone for free, and it was more convenient to carry one thing instead of two. Good Life by OneRepublic starts playing and I dance as I change and put my clothes away. This song always makes me want to whistle.

"Oooooh, this has gotta be the good life!"

* * *

><p>A knock on my door makes me jump. I had been at a particularly tense part in my book, and I frown as I put it down.<p>

"Come in." I call. Anne walks in and sits on my bed.

"Whose party are you going to, again?" She asks.

"Sammie Hayes."

Anne recoils. "I thought you hated her?"

"Ugh, I do. But Jake Rickson's going to be there." I smile, and Anne smiles back. She knows all about Jake Rickson.

"Well, why don't you and Drew get ready here, and we can make you look so pretty the poor boy won't know what hit him?" She suggests.

"Huh, that's a good idea. Squirt has plenty of make up, anyway." I purse my lips. "Yeah, I'll text Drew right now."

"Don't call your sister Squirt, Max." Anne chides, but I can see the smile beneath her so called angry gaze.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't you have brownies to be making?" We both laugh, but Anne swats me upside the head on her way out the door.

I text Drew, and she pulls up in my driveway ten minutes later.

"Hey." I greet when she gets to my room. Drew looks me up and down, taking in my sweatpants, messy hair up in a bun, and stained tee shirt from several years. Anne stands in the doorway behind her.

"Oh, dear." Drew sighs and looks at the clock. It's 2:15. "Anne, we have a lot of work to do."

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><p>Three hours later, I'm scrunching up my face while Anne applies something to my cheeks. It looks like lipstick! Okay, now I'm just being dumb. I know it's blush, but I tend to feign ignorance about makeup.<p>

"Done! Put your dresses on, both of you!" She chirps and I get up and open my eyes. I move to go look in the mirror, but Anne blocks my path.

"Not until you're dressed. I want you to get the complete look."

I shrug and start pulling off my hobo outfit. I pull another skanky dress over my head. This one is an electric blue, which apparently 'brings out my eyes.' I don't care what color it is, as long it makes me look hot. And I'm not just being shallow; I have a plan for this party.

I look at Drew next to me, and she looks stunning. Her dress is white, and it hugs her body in all the right places. The neckline is really very low, but is bunched up in way that it looks classy, not slutty. Her black hair has been curled to perfection, contrasting beautifully against her tan skin and white dress. Anne has done her makeup so that her eyes and lips look even bigger, and her cheek bones more prominent.

I gasp. "Jake Rickson, eat your pretty little heart out." I repeat her statement from earlier, and she smiles.

"You don't look so bad yourself."

She's right, I don't. I'm allowed to brag in my own head, right? Good, because I look absolutely gorgeous. The blue dress fits loosely up top, but pretty much makes my boobs look bigger. The bottom is similar to a pencil skirt, curve hugging and itty bitty. It ends a few inches below my butt, so I can preserve so dignity. Anne's made my face looks flawless and radiant. She's knows what I like, and what Drew likes, so my lips are their regular pale pink, except glossier, and my eyes have nothing on them but a swipe of eyeliner.

I grin when I see us both side by side in the mirror. Anne smiles too, from behind us.

"Girls, you look beautiful. That boy's not going to know what hit him."

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><p>I pull my heels on in the car, struggling with a buckle.<p>

"Here, let me." Drew says, letting go of the wheel to fasten the little belt for me. We're parked in Sammie's driveway, so I don't have to have an aneurysm.

"Let's go." I say, and we step out of Anne's black Mercedes-Benz SLS AM, which she so kindly let us borrow. Drew rings the doorbell of the house once, and Sammie opens it.

"Guys, I'm glad you made it. Come on in." She says, playing the part of a perfect host.

"Thanks for having us." Drew says, equally politely. I don't say anything, but I make sure to bump my shoulder against Sammie's when I walk through the doorway.

"Is that-"

"Drew Christian?"

"Holy damn."

"-and Max Walker?"

"I'd tap that."

"You guys look fantastic!" One of the girls chirps. I don't say anything, following my instructions from Drew precisely. Instead, I look around with my best stink face- lips pursed, and a bored expression.

"I know." Drew says, and we both flip our hair like the bitches we are a heart.

"I'll get drinks." I speak for the first time. Drew nods. This is all part of the plan. Just like we envisioned, Jake is standing by the punch bowl with a can of beer in his hand. He looks around shiftily before pouring it into the bowl. Seriously, can you get anymore cliché?

"Hey." I say sultrily. I pretend to stumble as I walk over to him. Jake looks me up and down, his smile growing bigger when his eyes stop at my chest and legs. I force myself to not deck him right there and then for being such a sexist pig.

"Hey yourself, Maxi. I didn't think I'd see you here." He winks at me and I stop myself from gagging.

"Yeah, well, Drew didn't want to come, but I did. I was bored at home." I let out a giggle so uncharacteristic that Jake stares at me.

"Are you drunk?" He asks, incredulous. "Has this punch already been spiked?"

I shake my head. "Just tipsy. And no, the punch was fine until you poured your beer can into it."

"You saw that, huh?"

"Yeah." I say, and I step towards Jake until I'm barely a centimeter away from him. I put my finger on his shoulder and gently trace down until I get to the waistband of his pants.

"Max?" His voice is shaky, and he gulps thickly. Weirdo.

"Hmmmm." I say absently, continuing to trail my finger around his abs. I can feel his muscles under his shirt, and although I hate him, I had to admit his was well defined

"Max?" He repeats, more urgently this time. I look up, slightly miffed.

"What?"

"What are you doing?"

"What do you think, silly?" I say, and then I get up on my tippy toes and brush my lips against him. He responds fiercely, trying to get me to open my mouth, but I refuse. I don't want to catch mono from him, although it's probably too late for that.

"Max!" Drew snorts from several feet away. I turn my head but don't step away. I can practically feel Jake smirking beside me.

"Yeah?" I raise an eyebrow, my tone the perfect balance between bored and annoyed.

Drew shakes her head. "Nothing. I just wanted to warn you, he kisses like a dog. "

I wrinkle my nose. "I know. Come on, let's go." I can't resist turning to look at Jake's expression. His mouth is slightly open, his eyes like a lost puppy dog's. He doesn't look cute, he just looks dumb. And flabbergasted.

We join the throng of the party, dancing and flirting but making sure we didn't drink any alcohol. At parties like this, everything was spiked, so the only thing I drank was water straight from the kitchen tap.

"I'd like to say a few words." Sammie says, turning the music off. I try to resist cheering, because we had talked to Sammie and asked her to do this for us. As yet another ex-girlfriend of Jakes', she eagerly agreed. I content myself to winking at Drew instead. Everybody turns to look at Sammie, even the couples practically having sex with their clothes on by the couches.

"Sophomore year is over. In one more week, we're all juniors." She holds her cup out and is met with a few cheers. "I just wanted to say that Brandon, I love you. Maggie, and Sabrina, you're my best girls. Max and Drew, we have crap between us, but behind it all, you're cool people. And Jake Rickson, you're a douche." She shrugs and walks back into the crowd. This other girl Maggie steps up.

"Here's to an awesome junior year. We better beat the crap out of the seniors in the upperclassmen soccer tournament!" This is met by many whoops and cheers, especially from all the jocks.

It's mine and Drew's turn next. We step up to the platform together.

I take the microphone first. "I just wanted to say that I'm leaving. I'm going to boarding school in Florida for junior year. But if anybody messes with Drew, just know that I'll still kick your butt. Look at Jake Rickson, for example."

Everyone laughs and Jake flushes an ugly red. Drew takes the mike from me.

"That poor sorry bastard." She smirks as people continue to laugh and bring up the lesbian girlfriends incident from freshman year.

"Not even." I scoff. "Jake Rickson, you're a bitch."

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><p><strong>AN-** **I know that the chapter seems like total fluff, but Jake Rickson will actually be important to the story later. For right now, it's just character development. Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

"We're here, girls!" Anne announces from the driver's seat. I jump up, sick of driving. Whose bright idea was it to drive from New Jersey to Florida, anyway? That was over 1,100 miles and longer than 20 hours, _if_ we drove non-stop, which we of course did not. I throw open my car door and stretch obnoxiously outside.

"My legs!" Brooke moans. She had wanted to come to support me, since she wouldn't see me again for at least several months, but I think she was regretting it. She opens her door and falls onto the ground in an ungraceful heap. I give her a hand up. "Thanks." She mumbles.

"Hi, I'm Riley, and I'm a counselor at Winthrop Heights. I'll be your tour guide today!" A perky blonde girl walks up to us.

"Oh, hello!" Anne responds politely. "I'm Anne Walker, and these are my daughters, Max and Brooke."

"Are both of you enrolling?" Riley asks, scanning her clipboard for our names.

"No, just me." I say. "And I'll be under as Maxima Walker."

Riley continues to peruse the many sheets of paper for a few seconds before finding my name. She puts a neat little check mark next to it in green pen. "Ah, well, right this way."

We follow her to a huge building in the center of the school at least 5 times bigger than my house. And since Jeb is such a science hot shot, my house is pretty darn big.

"This is the dining hall," Riley explains. "It's mainly for dining, but there's the smaller auditorium on the second floor and a large commons area." She gestures to the apartment-like buildings to the right and left of the commons. "And those are the dorms. Girls to the left, guys to the right."

I nod, and we keep walking. In the back of the dining hall, there's a large football and soccer field, as well as a gigantic building that I assume is the gym. I gasp in astonishment. "Oh, man." I mutter, almost reverently.

Riley smiles at my awe. "Winthrop encourages students to participate in sports, and offers football, soccer, cheerleading, track, dance, basketball, tennis, gymnastics, volleyball, and lacrosse to all students. More information about practices and tournaments will be given closer to the sports seasons."

"Sweet." I say simply, still entranced by the soccer field. You might not think much of it, but any soccer lover could appreciate the smell of freshly cut grass, the dark green field, and for lack of a better word, picture perfect surroundings.

"All these buildings around the dormitories and sports centers are classrooms. Most of your classes will be in that building-" She points to a brick brown building,"- since you're a junior. That's building C. The two to the left are A and B, and then D and E and F. Classes will be labeled based on building number and floor number, so if you have a class in E204, then it means the class will be the fourth room in building E, on the second floor. Got it?"

I nod. "Yeah, I think so."

We continue to follow Riley, and she leads us back to the main entrance."And that's it, for Winthrop Heights! As a junior, you're allowed to leave campus on weekends to go into town, which is a few miles north from here. You will need a signed consent form from a parent, though." She hands Anne several pieces of paper and a pen, and I look around while Anne signs them. It seems just like you're regular school- cliques of people littered around the beautiful campus. I can immediately place the populars, the cheerleaders, the jocks, the laughers, the nerds, the loners, and the druggies. I'm sort of stumped as to who to talk to, because who I first talk to will basically settle my group for the rest of the year. At Bayside, Drew and I had our own thing. We were popular, per se, but we marched to our own drum. And at lunch, we had our own group that really wasn't classified in any way.

"You're all set then!" Riley interrupts my thoughts. "You're going to be rooming with a girl named Mattie in room 503." She hands me a key and I take it from her. I nod, and then whirl back to face my mom and sister.

I pat Brooke's back lovingly. "I'm going to miss you, shrimp!"

"Yeah, yeah." She grumbles, swatting me half heartedly. "I'll miss you too." Smiling, I bear hug her and she hugs me back, tight. Anne walks over and joins our hug, and I let her for exactly three seconds before I jump away. Ew, mushiness.

"Alright! Get going! Bye!" I wave obnoxiously and Anne rolls her eyes, but gets in the car and turns in on.

"Another two days of driving back, ugggggh." Brooke groans.

"Tough it out, chimp. Bye!" I wave to them until the car turns the corner and I can't see them anymore.

"Hey, are you new?"

I turn to face the voice. It belongs to a blonde boy with turquoise eyes that are to die for. I kind of just stare at him for a second before stuttering, "Yeah, I am new."

The boy smiles, which lights up his whole face. Someone else might call it dreamy, but to me it looks fake. It's enough to jolt me out of my girly state. "I'm Dylan." He says, sticking his arm out.

"Max." I reply, shaking his hand.

"Why don't you sit with us? I'll introduce you." When I nod, Dylan leads me to a group of kids sitting in a circle around a tree.

"Guys, this is Max." He says. Everyone looks up at me and I feel slightly self conscious. "Max, this is Sam, Noah, Nate, Julia, and Mattie." I nod at each one of them, knowing that I won't be able to tell them apart. I do, though, recognize the group. I had already categorized them as laughers. The 'laughers' was a name Drew and I made up for the funny, popular kids that everybody likes. It was normally a mix of all the cliques- you would have a few jocks, a couple dancers, one or two nerds, and a few 'popular' kids. This was probably the closest I could get to what Drew and I had at Bayside, so I'm happy that I'm possibly going to hang out with them.

"I probably won't remember all of your names." I blurt out, which elicits a laugh from everyone.

"That's okay." The chestnut haired one says. I think his name is Sam, but it might be Noah. "When I first got here, I was completely overwhelmed. You'll get used to it."

The brown haired girl smiles. Her hair reminds me of Drew's; straight, silky and long. A pang of nostalgia washes through me and I have to remind myself: _You chose this._

"Who are you rooming with?" She asks.

"Uh, some girl named Mattie. I haven't met her yet." I say, and everyone cracks up again. I'm clueless, though. Did I say something wrong?

"You weren't kidding about forgetting our names, were you?" Sam/Noah teases. I shake my head, a feeling a dread coursing through me.

"One of you is Mattie." I say, groaning inwardly.

"Yup, that's me! " The same brown haired girl says. She grins at me, and I feebly smile back at her. "If you want to go up there now, I can give you a little tour."

"Yeah, that'd be great. I need a map to get around!"

"Wouldn't it be better to grab some dinner first? I'm starved!" The chestnut haired Sam/Noah says.

"Oooh, good idea, Sam!" Mattie says. Oh, so his name is Sam. I was half right. "They'll be closing it in an hour or so, so let's go! I always forget that they've started closing the dining hall."

"Is the food any good here?" I ask.

Six stunned heads turn to me. "You'll have to taste it for yourself." Dylan says.

Noah/Nate snorts. "Forget good, it's _to die for! _Max, you are so clueless." He teases. I scrunch up my nose and the other girl- Julia- stands up for me.

"Oh, shut up Nate. We all were when we first got here!"

"Not me." Noah says cheekily. "I've always known where everything is!"

Mattie rolls her eyes. "We can't all be the principle's son, Noah."

I gape at him. "You're the principle's son?"

"Yeah, so?"

"We can't do anything remotely rule breaking with you around!" The disappointment must be evident on my face because Sam laughs.

"Come on, let's go eat." He turns me around by the crook of my elbow but then doesn't let go. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dylan glare. Not wanting to make enemies on the first day, I move away from Sam's grip but try to make it seem nonchalant.

"So it's just the two of us in our dorm?" I ask Mattie as we walk toward the dining hall.

"There's another girl, Brenda, but she's super quiet and isn't even in the room much. I've always wanted a roommate that I could be best friends with!" She smiles at me and I grin back. I love that she's making assumptions that we'll be best friends.

Nate throws open the doors to the hall. "Ladies first!" He says, bowing dramatically.

I swoosh past him, muttering. "I swear guys only invented that so they could check out girls' butts."

"No!" Sam protests. "It's the gentlemanly thing to do! The checking part is new." I slug him on the shoulder and again see Dylan fuming from behind me. I look at Mattie and see that she's just as confused by Dylan's actions as I am. I guess that means that isn't how he normally acts.

"Yeah, yeah." Julia says. "This is our table, Max." She leads me to this huge booth in the center of the hall, one that could easily seat 12 people.

"Mmmmmmmmmmm." I close my eyes and sniff. "Mmmmm, oh my god! This smells amazing!"

"Wait till you taste it!" Nate winks at me. I stick my tongue out at him.

"Lead the way, oh wise one." I mock curtsy at him. He bobs his head pleasantly.

"Nate? Wise?" Julia snorts.

Nate ignores her, although everyone else laughs. "You are learning well, young grasshopper."

"Alright!" Noah claps his hands together. "Let's eat!" We stand in a line while I practically salivate at the smell. When it's my turn, I pile my plate with everything- a calzone, breadsticks, a salad, and a bowl of soup, as well as a pack of chips, a bottle of Coke, and a brownie to top it all off.

Everyone stares at me. I look at them all innocently. "What?"

"You'd think you were starved your whole life or something." Julia breathes. I shrug modestly, not saying anything.

"Even I couldn't eat that much!" Noah huffs.

"Me either, and I'm the captain of the football team." Dylan chimes in.

"Oh, give the girl a break. She's hungry." Mattie comes to my defense and I wink at her, glad for the support.

"Besides," I say, as we're sitting down. "This is just my first helping."

Everybody turns to stare at me again. "What!" I demand.

"There is no way in hell you're not fat." Sam declares.

I stick my tongue out at him, too. "I'm a fatty at heart! Besides, I burn it all off."

"Doing what, exactly?" Nate asks.

I glare at him. "Are you trying to suggest that I'm un-athletic?"

He shrugs. "Sorry dear, but I just can't picture you playing I don't know, basketball or something."

"Yeah, well I play soccer, dance, and run track. So there." I take a huge bite of my calzone and it melts in my mouth. "Mmmmmm."

Julia shakes her head. "Poor you, Mattie. Rooming with this weirdo."

"I pity myself too, right now." Mattie says, shaking her head at me. I gasp at the two of them.

"I thought you were my friends!" I break my breadstick in half and throw a piece at both of them.

"Hey, no food fights." Nate orders. I sigh loudly.

"If you're going to be all uptight about rules, I will banish you from this kingdom, mister."

"Mister? I thought he was Wise One?" Sam asks. I smile.

"He's been demoted."

"What? For what? What did I do?" Nate pleads.

"What did you not do, Nate?" Mattie says dramatically. I nod my head for emphasis.

"Exactly. Good to know you're my friend again."

Mattie bites her lip mischievously. "I just don't want to be attacked tonight."

"By who, me?" I put my hand to my chest. "Never."

Dylan speaks up for the first time in a few minutes. "Glad I'm not you, Mattie."

She sticks her tongue out at him. It seems that this table makes everyone act like first graders. "You could never hope to be."

"Oh, burned!" Noah laughs.

"Oh, by the way, Max, soccer tryouts are next Thursday, in case you're interested." Sam says randomly.

"Sweet! Just tell me when and where closer to the date."

Nate pipes up, "We all play soccer."

"All of you?" I ask, disbelieving.

"Er, Sam, Noah, Mattie and I do. So, everyone that matters."

Julia picks up the breadstick I had thrown at her and pegs Nate in the face.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For being an idiot."

"Give him a break, Julia." I begin, and Nate nods sagely next to me. "He can't help his true nature." Everybody laughs while Nate turns to me, feigning hurt.

"I never thought you would do that to me, Max." He whines.

I pat his head lovingly. "That's life, bud. Get used to it."

* * *

><p>I yawn obnoxiously a few hours later. It was only ten, but I was tired and stuffed silly from my scrumptious dinner. We were in one of the common rooms.<p>

"Bed time?" Mattie asks, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah." I say, yawning again.

"Come on." She says to me. Louder, she says, "Good night, guys!"

"Yeah." I echo. "Good night!"

"Night." Dylan says, and Sam waves from his perch on the beanbag chair.

Mattie leads me across the grounds to the dorms. I groan at having to climb five flights of stairs, but there's no elevator so I have no other option.

"Since it's a Friday, our curfew's 11, but normally it's 10. Our warden is ridiculous, and crazily always prowling the door for any stragglers. It's not worth it to get caught for sneaking in late, trust me." She explains.

"What happens if you're late?" I ask, genuinely curious.

Mattie waves her hand absently while opening our door with her key. It's dark in the room, but when I move to turn the light on, Mattie stops me.

"Brenda's asleep." She says, pointing to a bundle on the third bed. "Just sleep there for now. We can put your stuff away tomorrow."

I nod, too tired to talk anymore, and collapse on the bed Mattie gestures to.

"Sleep tight, Matts." I call out to her, too lazy to brush my teeth.

Mattie laughs. "Don't let the bed bugs bite."

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Sort of fluff, sort of not. You'll understand which parts were important later. Ooh, and our favorite Flock emo birdboy will be making an entrance next chapter. :D Are you as thrilled as I am?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

"Oh, yeaaaah!" A high pitched groan jolts me awake. I force one eye open, and I can see that Mattie's awake in the bed next to mine.

"Mattie," I croak. "Mattie, what the heck is going on?"

She shrugs, looking equally perplexed. "I think that's Brenda. And she has a guy with her."

"I thought we weren't allowed to have boys in our dorms?"

"That only applies after nine. I guess nobody thought people could go at it in the middle of the day." She says. Grumbling, I flip over and look at the time. The digital clock blares 9:30 in big, red numbers.

"What time does school start?" I mumble. Mattie giggles.

"It's Saturday, silly. Normally it starts at 8:30, though." She pauses, looking thoughtful, and then makes her voice louder. "Brenda, what the heck?"

A hear a girlish giggle from my side and refuse to look over. "You better go." Someone- Brenda, I assume- whispers. A boy gets up and walks out our door. I finally whirl around and look at Brenda. Brenda is petite and pretty, with long red hair and an easy smile. She looks nice enough, but I think it's slightly weird that she had a boy in her room while her two roommates were asleep next to her.

"What happened to you?" Mattie gasps, her mouth literally hanging.

"I go by Brigid now. Brenda is such an unflattering name." She chirps. Ugh, she is way too energetic for 9 in the morning.

"And you hair…?" Mattie trails off.

"I dyed it. Red suits me, don't you think?" She stares at us earnestly, waiting for a response. Dumbfounded, I nod. She smiles, but it's sickeningly sweet.

"Good." She claps her hands together. "So let's establish some rules. You two can have a quarter of the bathroom, and I'll take the rest. I get to shower first, obviously, and guys are allowed any time, for all of us. I'm sure you both have a special someone. Dylan, or Nate, maybe?"

I gape at her, but don't miss the blush in Mattie's cheeks when Brigid mentions Nate. I make a mental note to ask her about later and then begin to yell at Brigid.

"No, I don't think so! We each can get a third of the bathroom, and we'll take turns showering first. Guys are allowed any time, but if you're going to do…do _it_, then we have to be out of the room, first. You're not the boss of us all, Bratty."

She sniffs. "It's Brigid. And who are you?"

"Max." I say curtly.

"That's a boy's name." She remarks, pursing her lips.

"No way?" I ask sarcastically. "I never knew! What are we, back in second grade now?"

"Shut up, Max." She speaks my name as if it is sour in her mouth. "Let's compromise. You and Mattie can share half the bathroom, and I'll take the other half. We don't have to be out of the room to do it, but I'll tell you guys if I'm bringing a guy for the night. And I shower first three days a week, and you two split up the other four days."

"Yeah, whatever-" Mattie begins to say, but I cut her off.

"No, I don't think so, Brigid. Who are you to make up all the rules? Who ever gets up first gets to shower first. Everything else, fine, whatever."

Brigid scoffs and walks out, which I take to mean that she agrees. There's a long silence before either of us speak, and Mattie is first to break the silence.

"What happened to not making enemies right away?"

I shrug. "If you have enemies, it just shows that you stood up for something."

Mattie stares at me for a long while. "You are one of a kind, Max." She says, and then she skips into the bathroom to shower. I start putting my clothes into the big dresses, where three shelves are clearly marked: MAX. I don't have that many clothes, though, so I only fill up one and a half. When Mattie comes out of the bathroom, I go in to take a shower. People call it weird, but I always brush my teeth and shower first thing in the morning. It relaxes me, per se.

The bathroom is pretty big, with a big, long countertop and mirror, as well as two sinks and a shower. Brigid, true to her word, has already placed her many bottles of perfumes and mousse and other such girly things over her half of the counter. I put my toiletries bag to one side. There's not much in there, just my toothbrush, hair brush, razor, lotion, shaving lotion, and floss and perfume, at my mom's insistence.

I pull a pair of jean shorts on and throw on a long sleeved shirt. The weather is incredibly hot for mid August, but I guess that's just Florida for you. I practically run down stairs with Mattie and into the dining hall for breakfast. Sam, Dylan, Noah, and Julia are already seated at our table. We grab some bagels and cream cheese (best breakfast ever!) and go sit with them.

"Good morning!" I smile brightly.

"How are you so happy in the morning?" Noah groans.

"I have food." I say, completely straight faced, and he stares at me for a few seconds before he realizes that I'm kidding.

"One of these days, you're going to wake up fifty pounds heavier." Julia shakes her head at me.

"Why must you all make fun of my eating?" I whine.

"Because you eat more than Dylan and I put together." Sam mutters, and I kick him under the table.

"Where's Nate?" Mattie says, and I narrow my eyes at her and her faint blush.

"Still asleep, probably." Dylan says. "Although I have no idea how he can sleep past 10."

Sam spits out the juice he was drinking. "It's past ten? Oh crap oh crap oh crap. Track practice, got to go, bye!" He sprints out the double doors, leaving his uneaten pancakes on the table.

"Does anyone else want that?" I ask, and when everyone shakes their heads, I take it and eat that, too.

What can I say? I'm a growing girl.

* * *

><p>"So what do we do for fun on a weekend?" I ask when we're seating outside again.<p>

"Normally, we go to town, but I have football practice and Sam has track, and we're the only two with cars. We can go out in the afternoon, if you want." Dylan explains. A few minutes later, he leaves, mumbling about going to practice.

"Hm, maybe." I say, and then notice that cars are still pulling up and Riley is talking to another family. "Hey, are people still arriving?" I ask tapping Noah on the shoulder. He looks over at me absently, and then swings his head towards the cars pulling up.

"Huh? Yeah, I guess so." He answers, and then turns right back to Julia to finish their game of tic tac toe.

I lean back and slurp my Juicy Juice obnoxiously. "Do you always find new recruits? Or was I just special?"

Mattie rolls her eyes. "We don't normally, but Sam and Dylan both have the hots for you."

I sit up so fast Mattie flinches. "What?" I squeal.

"You really haven't noticed?" She asks incredulously. "They both think you're gorgeous. That's the only reason they invited you over. Other wise, it's been the six of us for 2 years now."

I scrunch up my face. "Do you not want me here?" I question blatantly.

Mattie laughs. "We like you, dummy. Of course we want you here. Besides, it's about time we added a girl to our group. It was just me and Julia with these four crazy guys."

I raise my eyebrows. "Not that you mind. More girls mean more competition for Nate.

She ducks her head, embarrassed."Shut up."

I laugh, and fall back again. "Matts?" I ask, after some more silence.

"Hm?" She looks at me expectantly.

"So if we saw a hot guy arriving, we could invite him to join us?"

"Yeah, actually. I never thought about like that before, but we should totally do it! And you should flirt like crazy with him."

"What? Why? That's stupid."

"To make Sam or Dylan jealous. You must like one of them!"

I shake my head slowly. "They're…nice, I guess. But I'm kind of picky about dating."

Mattie scoffs, not unkindly. "Girls would kill to be you. Sam is a track star, and the soccer team captain, and Dylan is absolutely gorgeous, and football captain."

"I guess I'm just not that kind of girl."

"And you know what I would kill for?"

"A date with Nate?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice. But I would kill for that guy to ask me out."

"You don't even know him!" I exclaim, sitting up. I look towards the boy she's pointing to. He looks like your average boy- black hair, tall, muscular.

"Your point is?" She asks. "Come on, he's perfect to invite to our lil' group."

I get up and follow her, muttering. "As long as I don't have to flirt with him."

Mattie laughs, and then taps the boy on the shoulder. He turns around.

"Hi, I'm Mattie! And this is Max. Are you new?" She says. His eyes flicker over to me and meet mine with a jolt. He looks back at Mattie.

"Yeah, I am."

"I just was wondering if you wanted to come sit with us."

"That'd be cool." The boy says, looking at me expectantly. I squirm under his gaze, unsure of exactly want he wants me to do. "I'm Nick, by the way. Or Fang." He continues to look at me, his eyes practically boring holes in mine.

"Fang?" I speak up for the first time. "Huh. I guess I can't really judge, since my name's Maxima. God, what were my parents thinking?" It's the same thing I say anytime somebody asks me about my name, but it comes out sounding forced, and Fang can tell.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Maxima."

"Max." I correct him.

He holds my gaze for one last second. "I know."

* * *

><p><strong>AN- SQUEEEEE. And now we get to the good stuff! Fax and action will take a few more chapters, I think, but rest assured, because they are on their way! I'll update as fast as I can type. And you just might get another chapter this weekend, since it's a three day weekend. Thank goodness for no school!**

**Reviews are are like sniffing glue. Once you start, there's absolutely nothing better.**

**Not that I've ever sniffed glue, of course.**

**Why would you ever assume that?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

"Who is this?" Sam asks, his fury barely concealed by his voice.

"This is-" Mattie begins, but Fang cuts her off.

"I'm Nick." He says curtly, holding Sam's gaze steadily.

"We invited him over, Sam." Mattie explains. "He's new."

Sam stiffly sticks his hand out, and Fang shakes it equally coolly. "I've got to go." Sam mutters, walking away from us.

"Wait, why?" I call out, just to mess with him.

"Uh, I'm going to shower. I'm all gross from practice."

Fang snorts. "What a wiener."

I smack his arm. "Stop, Sam's nice."

Fang shrugs, unabashed, while Mattie giggles.

"So, that was Sam." She introduces. "That's Julia, and that's Noah."

Julia waves without looking up and Noah mumbles, "Hey, man."

"Okay," Fang says. "And you're Mattie, and you're Max."

Mattie nods. "Well, you certainly got it faster than Max."

"Hey!" I complain, swatting her arm. "Stop picking on me." Fang's lips turn up at the corners, and his smile is achingly familiar. _But I've never seen him before today_, I remind myself. _There's no way I know him. _

"What?" Fang raises his eyebrows and I realize I've been staring at him. Mattie waggles her eyebrows at me from behind him. I stick my tongue out at her.

"Nothing." I bite my lip. "You just look really familiar. Have we met before?"

The mask slips off of Fang's face just long enough for me to make out a pained expression, one filled with hurt. It only lasts a fleeting second, and I wonder if I had imagined it.

"Not that I know of." Fang replies, his face just as impassive as before.

"Hey, guys!" Dylan barrels towards us and sweeps me up in a huge hug. I fidget uncomfortably under Fang's gaze and Dylan's arms around me. For some reason, it really bothers me that Fang might get the wrong impression about Dylan and I. Mattie looks equally puzzled.

"Is there a reason for this display of affection?" I ask, extracting myself from Dylan and scooting several inches away. Fang smirks slightly at Dylan's dejected face.

"Am I not allowed to hug my friends?" Dylan says innocently.

I shrug. "I'm not a huggy type of person."

Julia looks up from whatever she's doing with Noah. "How do you not like hugs? I live for hugs!"

Noah joins our conversation. "So, Max, would you be upset if I did this?' He walks over to me and plops on top of me, putting his arm around me. I wouldn't normally care, but I notice Julia's crestfallen face, so I shove Noah off of me. At least, I try. Noah's too heavy for me to move.

"Get…off!" I huff, shoving uselessly against him.

He grins at me. "No, I don't think I will."

I put my mouth closer to his ear and whisper: "Get off right this instant or I swear to God I will tell everyone about your crush on Julia."

He scurries off of me immediately, eyes wide. It's my turn to smirk at him, and Dylan looks at me in amazement.

"Okay, what did you do, how did you do that, and will you teach me how?" He asks.

"It's just a matter of having leverage over people."

Julia cocks her head at me. "You haven't even been here for two days and you already have leverage over him?"

I wink at her. "What can I say? I'm observant."

"Me too." Mattie pipes in. "For example, I observed that Max is fat."

I gasp dramatically and pretend to faint. "Why does everything come back to my eating habits?"

"Haven't you heard?" Fang chimes in for the first time. "It's pick on Max day."

I smack his back, since he's sitting perpendicular to me. "Not you, too!" I complain, while everyone laughs. It's quiet for a few seconds before my rumbling stomach breaks the silence.

"I'm hungrrrrryyyy." I rub my belly while Julia sighs.

"When are you not?"

I continue on, ignoring her. "It's like my tummy is screaming, feeeeeeeeeeeedddd meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee."

"Why are you speaking whale? Stomachs don't speak whale." Noah proclaims.

"It's not whale, silly! Stomachs talk by theirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrrrrrssss, and strrrrrrrrrrrrrrreching out theirrrrrrrrrrrr worrrrrrrrrrrrds."

"Do I want to know?" A new voice asks, and I look up to see that it's Nate.

"I'm speaking stomach." I say, entirely seriously. He rolls his eyes at my words, and probably my position, too. I'm lying on my back with my head tilted up obnoxiously to look at him, while rubbing my belly.

"Oh, hey. I'm Nate." He notices Fang.

"Nick, but call me Fang."

"Why, do you bite?" Nate asks, but nobody laughs.

After several beats of awkward silence, I speak up. "Just…no, Nate."

He hangs his head in mock shame. "I tried."

"Too hard for it to be funny, bud." Noah says sympathetically.

I lay on my back again, closing my eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun. Suddenly, a shadow falls across my face. I crack one eye open and squint to make out who it is blocking my precious vitamin.

"Good morning." Nate says belatedly, joining our circle. I scoot over so that I'm not squished because of him.

"Good afternoon is more like it." Dylan says. "Did you eat?"

Nate shakes his head, and my mouth drops open. "As hard as it is for you to believe, Max, I haven't eaten."

"But that means you haven't eaten since last night! That's more than twelve hours!" I gasp.

Julia rolls her eyes. "Oh, the horror."

"Where's Sam?" Nate asks.

"He stormed off when he saw Fang." Mattie explains.

Nate looks confused. "He ran away from a fang?"

I laugh. "He left after meeting Fang the person."

Nate blushes. "Sorry, dude. I kind of…forgot about you."

Fang half smiles. "It's okay."

"Do you get a lot of Fang jokes?" Mattie asks, sounding genuinely curious.

"What do you mean?" He scrunches him brow in confusion. _Gosh, he looks cute like that,_ I think. Hold on. Delete that; you never heard me say anything.

"Like Nate's not so funny joke right now." I clarify.

"Oh, not really. I hung out with the same group of kids since I was little, and I guess they were just used to my name and never really made fun of it." He explains. I sort of gape at him. He's never said so many words at once before.

Fang laughs at my expression. I huff and cross my arms.

"What were their names?" Julia asks, preventing the fight that was sure to erupt.

"Oh, uh, Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, Angel, and…and Max, funny enough."

I raise my eyebrows. "And I thought your name was weird. Gazzy? Nudge?"

Fang laughs again. "His real name was Zephyr, but he had a funky digestive system, so we all called him the Gasman. And that eventually was shortened to Gazzy. And Nudge's real name was Monique, but she never shut up unless someone nudged her, and that's how she got her nickname." He looks at me expectantly as he talks.

"What about Iggy? What was his real name, or was it Iggy?" Dylan asks, his voice friendly compared to before but still slightly hostile.

"His real name was James."

"So four boys and two girls, huh? That's not that different from right now." Mattie says, and she's right. We have five boys and three girls.

"Three and three, actually. Max was a girl." Dylan raises his eyebrows. Even I have to admit that that's a huge coincidence, since there aren't exactly a bunch of girls named Max.

"What was her real name?" Noah asks.

"Maximum." Fang whispers, still looking straight at me. I look away, more than a little uncomfortable.

"So that's why you looked funny when I said my name!" I say suddenly, remembering. Fang nods, and the same hurt expression flickers on his face for the briefest moment. I wonder if I've said or done something wrong, but that's crazy, because I barely knew him.

"So why are you at boarding school? It sounds like you and your friends were super close." Mattie inquires.

"My friends and I sort of broke apart when Max and Nudge left, and I guess I just wanted a change." Fang shrugs, a little awkward about being asked so many questions. "Why the interrogation?"

Julia shrugs. "We know practically everything about each other, having been friends for so long. It's only fair we learn about you, too."

"I didn't get an interrogation." I say. "Am I not special enough that you want to know about me?"

Mattie laughs. "We were just less obvious when we asked you. For instance, we already know that your best friend was Drew, and you moved from New Jersey because you were sick of your family and school. You have a little sister named Brooke and you love food and chocolate chip cookies are your weakness. You play soccer, and dance, and run track. You hate shopping and have an aversion to dressing up, but you'll do it every now and then if there's a good enough reason. You don't realize that you're beautiful, and you don't ever wear any makeup. You're independent, and protective, and sarcastic, and kind. You have incredible amounts of attitude, and you're athletic and capable."

I gawk at her. "Mattie, I don't think I even know that much about myself!"

She blushes faintly. "Yeah, well, I'm observant.'

Everyone else is equally astonished. We all kind of stare at her until she snaps.

"OKAY, STOP! I'm still me, chill."

It breaks the tension, and we all fall back into our regular pattern of banter and talk.

I find myself gravitating towards Fang. "So you play soccer, huh?" He asks.

"Yeah. Do you do any sports?" I reply. He shakes his head, which surprises me. I guess it's evident on my face because he speaks up barely a few seconds later:

"Is is that hard to believe?" He sounds amused.

"Well, kind of. You look like an athlete."

"LUNCH TIME!" Nate yells, interrupting whatever Fang had been about to say.

"Yes!" I shout, my fist pumping the air. "Let's go!"

As I run ahead of my friends and into the dining hall, I can practically feel them shaking their heads at me. Hey, whatever. Whatever floats your boat.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Not the most eventful chapter, but two in a weekend? : ) I'm kind of proud of myself.**

**Reviews are like halloween candy. Not required, but really very appreciated. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

I slump towards our table, and sit down with a loud _plunk! _Everyone looks at me while I savagely attack my waffles.

The dining hall is fuller than ever before, bustling with students and faculty all trying to get a bite to eat before class. Normally, I'd like the bustle- that was one thing I missed about New Jersey- but in the mornings the talk seemed tortorous to me ears. I see a plump lady practically skip to the buffet line and stop myself from growling under my breath. Skipping should be banned at all times, not just in the ungodly hours on the morning.

"Something up, Max?" Sam asks cautiously, putting down his fork.

"I'm not a morning person. And it's the first day of school." I groan, slurping more of my orange juice. I drain the glass and set it down with a loud _plop!_

"But you have food!" Noah teases, taking a bite of his own breakfast, oatmeal. "Doesn't that make everything better?"

I nod, not speaking since my mouth is full. See, I do have manners. I swallow, and then say "Mostly, yes, but the agony of school cannot be perished by even food."

Dylan raises his eyebrows and looks up from his oatmeal. "Which is why you raced down here even before Julia or Mattie woke up, right?"

"Food can lessen the pain; it just can't get rid of entirely." I explain, and Nate laughs.

"You know, I have to agree with you on this one. Food rocks. If only I could eat some." He gazes longingly at my filled to the brim plate. There's nothing but a milkshake in front of him, either.

I look up for the first time. "Why can't you eat?"

"I just got separators put in, and I'm getting braces next week. Chewing hurts." He clarifies.

"Ah. I had braces for a year when I was little. Hey, aren't you a bit old to be getting braces?" Sam asks.

Nate looks slightly uncomfortable with the topic, but replies anyway. "Yeah, I had some problem with my gums and it wasn't safe for me to get braces up until now."

"Good thing I have straight teeth!" Dylan taunts, taking a huge bite of his oatmeal.

Nate groans, and Noah claps him on the back. "It's okay, Nate. There are always smoothies."

Mattie and Julia walk over to our table, plates of fruit in their hands. "Good morning!" Julia chirps.

We all look at her exasperatedly. She smirks at our apparent disbelief about her perkiness in the early hour of 7:30 AM. Mattie, on the other hand is equally enthusiastic as the rest of us. She slumps to the seat next to me and sits down even more clumsily than I had. She puts her head on the table and I nudge her with my elbow before she falls asleep.

"It's important to start out the school year on a good foot, guys." Julia preaches, taking a bite of pineapple.

I raise my eyebrow at her. "And that is why you are a complete, total nerd."

She sticks her tongue out at me. "You're just jealous of my smarts, fatty."

"Hey, where's Fang?" Mattie cuts in before Julia and I can go any further. We look at guys, since he's in their dorm, not ours, but they all shrug in unison.

"Did anybody else see that?" Mattie gasps.

I nod. "Pretty freaky stuff."

Noah furrows his brow. "Wait, what?"

"You all shrugged at the same time." Julia says.

"I believe the more concise word would be in unison, Jules. So much for smarts." I wink at her.

"If you would prefer than I allow my inner logophile to manifest, and that I allege and descant through pulchritudinous, capacious words, I will, but I do perceive that all of you have , and therefore, I am abstaining from doing so." Julia says smarmily .

Dylan's eyes have actually widened. "Geez." He remarks lightly, and we all laugh.

"Let's not invoke the smart side of Julia any time soon, okay?" Nate says, and I punch his arm. He winces, and I laugh. They all pretend to be tough, but they're really just softies on the inside.

"They're just big words. I knew what all of them meant, anyway. You boys are all the same: dumb." Mattie shakes her head.

"Oh yeah?" Noah asks. "Define capacious, then."

"It means large, dimwit." I retort. "But it's normally used to mean spacious, so bad context usage, Julia."

"Looks like you've finally met your match!" Sam laughs.

"Or did you just happen to know that one word, Max?" Fang says from out of no where. I jump, and then turn to face him.

"Where did you come from?" I hadn't even noticed him, By the confused looks of everyone around me, I wasn't the only one who missed his arrival.

Fang raises an eyebrow at me. "I've been here." He says coolly.

"Since when?" Mattie pursues.

"A while." He takes a long drink of apple juice.

I exchange a look with her but we decide to let the matter drop. "It's 8:00." I announce. "What time does school start?"

"8:30," Dylan answers. "What's your schedule, Max?"

I dig the piece of paper out of my pocket and smooth it out as I place it on the table in front of us, moving other people's plates and glasses out of the way. Everyone leans in for a closer look.

"English, Creative Writing, Anatomy, Lunch, Calculus, Social Studies with Coker, and Advanced Team Sports." Sam reads out loud.

"You are smart, aren't you?" Nate says. "I'm still in Algebra II. You're a whole two math classes ahead of me!"

I shrug modestly. "My dad's a scientist."

"Right, so you have Anatomy with me, Max. Sam, Dylan, Nate and I are all in your sports class, too." Noah declares. "And Math with Mattie and Julia. You have lunch with all of us, because all juniors have the same lunch, and we all have Social Studies with Coker together."

"That's pretty cool." I say. At the same time, Sam snorts. "What?" I ask, not understanding the joke."

Social Studies with Coker is a joke." He clarifies. "It's not history, it's legit social studies. We talk all period to observe 'socialness' of students."

I grin. "That's fun."

"What about you, Fang?" Mattie asks, and Fang puts his un-rumpled piece of on the table next to mine. I scowl at him, but he smirks at me easily.

"First two periods with Max." She reads. "And you have the same social studies and sports as everyone else."

He nods, accepting it. "I don't know where any of these are." I complain.

Fang's lips turn up at the corners in his version of a smile. "Good thing you have me, then."

"Yeah, yeah." I grumble, while everyone else laughs.

"Let's get going, then!" Julia smiles brightly, and snatches my half eaten plate of waffles away from me.

"Hey!" I protest.

"You've eaten 3 waffles, Max. That ought to hold you off until lunch." Mattie chides, lookign more awake now.

I cross my arms and glare at the table. I notice that it's near perfect, except for a hairline crack to my left. Our old school lunch tables were chipped and gross and stained. "Fine. But don't blame me when I complain all of anatomy."

"Wait, no!" Noah says frantically. "Just give her food, so she doesn't take it out on me in Anatomy."

I giggle. "Actually, let's get going." We all walk out together until we reach the various school buildings. Everyone turns in different directions, and Fang and I walk to room C103. When we enter the room, I almost gasp at the sheer size of it. Just like the rest of the school, the classroom is colossal, and it looks large enough to fill my entire grade from Bayside. There are roof to floor windows which offer an excellent view of the soccer fields and woods. I smile in spite of myself. If there's one thing I love to do, it's staring out the window instead of paying attention. And if there are people out there playing sports, I'll actually have something to watch. Fang and I are not the first ones, but there are only a few other people, since we are pretty early. There are still 10 minutes till class begins.

"Hello." A middle aged man looks up from his place writing on the board. It too is immense, and I hope he won't actually use it all. "And you are?" He steps closer to us, clip board in hand.

"Nick Ride."

"Maxima Batchelder."

He nods, checking us of his list. "And what do you go by?"

"Fang."

"Max."

"Well, Fang and Max, why don't you take a seat. I'm Mr. Smith, and I'll be teaching both your English and Creative Writing classes, which I see you have first and second period. I'll do the formal introductions once the rest of your classmates arrive."

We nod and I skip up the rows to sit in the middle. Fang takes the seat beside me.

"So, do you like to write?" He asks, by way of small talk.

"Hm." I reply absently, digging in my bag for a pen. I scrunch up my nose when I don't find one; asking a teacher for one on the first day of school would give a bad first impression.

"Here," Fang says, handing me a blue BIC pen. I take it gratefully.

"Thanks. And yes, I do like to write. You?"

"I love to. I used to have a blog."

"Really? I'd love to read it." I pause, waiting for him to give me the name, but he doesn't, so I speak up again. "What is it called?"

Fang shakes his head. "Don't read it. It's from a few years ago. I'd rather you read something more recent of mine."

"Uh, okay. So, really, how did you show up for breakfast without anybody noticing?" I say, swiftly changing the topic.

"We both know how." He mutters, and I draw back in surprise.

"Huh?"

"I walked." Fang says, his voice literally dripping with sarcasm.

"Fine." I huff, turning away.

I hear him mumble something else but I can't make out what.

"What was that?" I ask, my tone both curious and frosty.

"I'm sorry, I'm just trying to make it work." He apologizes.

"What are you going on about, Fang?" I question, thoroughly confused.

He shakes his head again. "Don't worry about it."

I roll my eyes at him and face the front, where Mr. Smith is about to begin class.

"Good morning, everybody." He calls out. "I'm Mr. Smith, and I trust you're all old enough to figure out each others name without having to play the Name Game." He pauses, and there a few titters of scattered laughter.

"This English class will be rigorous and fast paced. I'm giving you the day off today, but just know that we'll start hurtling through the curriculum from tomorrow. The first work of literature that we will study is a classic, _The Count of Monte Cristo_, by Alexander Dumas. Has anybody read this already?"

I shoot my hand up in the air, and I'm the only one in the class. Mr. Smith raises his eyebrows at me. "I see, Ms. Max. May I ask why you read it? It's not normally a popular book to read over the summer."

"It was required reading at my school last year." I explain. He nods knowingly.

"What was Dante's main problem, then?" He quizzes.

"He wanted to play God. He gave himself too much power, and called himself the 'Count' of his island." I reply.

Mr. Smith smiles for the first time all period. "Well, we've finally got a smart one." He remarks dryly. "Still, I'll expect you to read and participate in all class activities."

I nod.

"Now that that's out of the way, go talk to people. English can be spoken, too!" He ushers. "Go make friends."

"Max, you're a dork." Fang retorts from beside me.

"What?" I say, perhaps a tad too loudly. I glare at everyone who stares until they look away. "Why?" I whisper, still rudely.

Fang shoots me an amused look. "You use big words, take advanced math classes, and have read a 1400 page book even before the English class does."

I sniff. "I'm smart, is that a crime? I want to be a scientist when I grow up, and there's a lot of competition for that."

Fang glares at me, stricken. "You want to what?" He spits, his voice suddenly strained.

I pretend not to notice. "Be a scientist. Why?"

"I thought you hated hospitals and labs." He says tightly.

"I do." I shudder at the thought. "I'm frightened silly of them, and I always want to beat up the doctors. But I've always had a feeling that something bad happens at Institutes and I kind of want to join one to save the animals getting hurt."

He nods, motioning for me to continue.

"I mean, I've had this eerie thought that some places experiment on humans." I flinch, and so does Fang. "Call me crazy, but I want to be a scientist to expose any inhumane experiments."

Fang stares at me for a long while. I hold his gaze steadily. When he finally speaks, it feels as if hours have passed rather than minutes. "You have no idea."

* * *

><p><strong>AN- I don't actually have anything to say. **

**Reviews are like chocolate chips in a cookie. The more there are, the happier I am. :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride. **

**Oh, and a day has passed, just incase that was unclear. I didn't want to write about every detail of every class of Max's, because in all honesty, who cares?**

**Max's POV:**

"So, Max, what are you doing?" Dylan asks. I was lying on the grass outside, tapping my teeth with my pen (Fang's pen, actually) trying to think of something to write. But the grass was amazingly soft and cool, just as perfect as the rest of my fairy tale surroundings. All I could think about was laying down, and no ideas were coming to me.

"Homework." I reply. "Mr. Smith is having us turn in a sample of our work for creative writing, but I'm not really sure what to write."

"I'm not much help there." He says, "I'm not really creative at all."

"Sure you are!" I exclaim, sitting up. "For example, what do you think of when you hear the phrase purple sneetches save the world?"

"Sneetches?"

"You know, the creatures from that Dr. Seuss book?" How someone does not know what sneetches are is beyond me.

"Oh. I don't know; I think of purple sneetches saving the world, I guess." He mumbles, shifting awkwardly.

"That's it?" I ask dryly. He nods. "You're hopeless, then." I proclaim. "I wonder if Fang is having better luck. Yo, Fang!" I call out. I can't help but notice that Dylan's face looks more than a little hurt.

Fang looks up from his spot several yards away from me, also on the grass. We had sat far enough apart that we wouldn't be distracted by each other. I crook my finger at him, and he slowly gets up and walks over, leaving his notebook on the ground.

"What?" He demands.

"What are you writing about, for your creative writing piece?" I bite my lip.

"I'm writing about flying bird kids that save the world." He smiles. "What about you?"

I let out an aggravated sigh. "I don't know yet."

He purses his lips thoughtfully while Dylan looks back and forth from me to Fang like we're some tennis match. "Write about food." Fang teases.

I swat his arm and he laughs. "I'm serious! Write from a piece of pasta's perspective or something!"

Dylan narrows his eyes at Fang and I can't help but laugh at it. "I think you're on to something." I tap Fang's head with my (his) pen. He mock glares at me.

"That's it!" I yell a second later. Several eyes from around the courtyard turn towards me, but I ignore them. "I'm going to write from that critic's point of view in the movie Ratatouille. That mean one. And then I can describe the delectable taste of perfectly made ratatouille."

Dylan, once again, looks entirely clueless. I sigh. "Do you not watch Disney movies, Dylan?"

He shakes his head. I turn to Fang. "Do you?"

"I don't make a point of watching them, but Angel and Nudge have made me sit through most of the important ones." He says.

I nod enthusiastically. "Disney movies are awesome. Except the fairy tales, because they're too…I don't know, too fairy tale-y. "

Fang raises his eyebrows. "Fairy tales are too fairy tale-y?" He repeats, turning into an are-you-serious question.

"Nobody gets that happy ever after! Fairy tales give little kids unreal expectations of life." I defend.

"So what Disney movies do you like?"

"Mulan, because she actually does something other than dance and flirt and look pretty. She's awful brave to join the army. And Beauty and the Beast, because Belle let's herself to be captured to save her dad. And Pocahontas, because she unites the Native Americans and Englishmen, but I don't like the sequel, because she was obviously meant to get with John Smith, not John Rolfe, because in real life, Rolfe was butt ugly."

"You know, I've never met someone so highly opinionated about Disney movies." Fang announces.

I shrug humbly. "You're lucky to meet me."

* * *

><p>I slide into my seat in class. Although it isn't the first day, the size of the room still stuns me. Fang is already sitting beside me.<p>

"Hey." I mumble. He nods at me.

After a minute's pause, he speaks up. "What did you end up writing your story on?"

"The critic's view in Ratatouille. I really wasn't kidding."

He smiles at me. "Can I read it?"

I nod. "Sure, if I can read your story." His smile falters for the briefest of seconds before he digs it out of his backpack. He hands slightly crumpled sheets of paper to me and takes mine out of my hand. There are lots of editing marks and scratched off words and places that have clearly been erased. I scan the page, noticing his slanted but neat handwriting. I begin to read.

_The funny thing about facing imminent death is that it really snaps everything else into perspective. Take right now, for instance._

_Run! Come on, run! You know you can do it._

_I gulped deep lungfuls of air. My brain was on hyperdrive; I was racing for my life. My one goal was to escape. Nothing else mattered._

_My arms being scratched to ribbons by a briar I'd run through? No biggie._

_My bare feet hitting every sharp rock, rough root, pointed stick? Not a problem._

_My lungs aching for air? I could deal._

_As long as I could put as much distance as possible between me and the Erasers._

_Yeah, Erasers. Mutants: half-men, half-wolves, usually armed, always bloodthirsty. Right now they were after me._

_See? That snaps everything into perspective._

_Run. You're faster than they are. You can outrun anyone._

_I'd never been this far from the School before. I was totally lost. Still, my arms pumped by my sides, my feet crashed through the underbrush, my eyes scanned ahead anxiously through the half-light. I could outrun them. I could find a clearing with enough space for me to—_

_Oh, no. Oh, no.__ The unearthly baying of bloodhounds on the scent wailed through the trees, and I felt sick. I could outrun men—all of us could, even Angel, and she's only six. But none of us could outrun a big dog._

_Dogs, dogs, go away, let me live another day._

_They were getting closer. Dim light filtered in through the woods in front of me—a clearing? __Please, please__ . . . a clearing could save me._

_I burst through the trees, chest heaving, a thin sheen of cold sweat on my skin._

_Yes!_

_No—oh no!_

_I skidded to a halt, my arms waving, my feet backpedaling in the rocky dirt._

_It wasn't a clearing. In front of me was a __cliff__, a sheer face of rock that dropped to an unseeable floor hundreds of feet below._

_In back of me were woods filled with drooling bloodhounds and psycho Erasers with guns._

_Both options stank._

_The dogs were yelping excitedly—they'd found their prey: __moi__._

_I looked over the deadly drop._

_There was no choice, really. If you were me, you'd have done the same thing._

_I closed my eyes, held out my arms . . . and let myself fall over the edge of the cliff._

_The Erasers screamed angrily, the dogs barked hysterically, and then all I could hear was the sound of air rushing past me._

_It was so dang peaceful, for a second. I smiled._

_Then, taking a deep breath, I unfurled my wings as hard and fast as I could._

_Thirteen feet across, pale tan with white streaks and some freckly looking brown spots, they caught the air, and I was suddenly yanked upward, hard, as if a parachute had just opened. __Yow!_

_Note to self: No sudden unfurling._

_Wincing, I pushed downward with all my strength, then pulled my wings up, then pushed downward again._

_Oh, my god, I was __flying__—just like I'd always dreamed._

_The cliff floor, draped in shadow, receded beneath me. I laughed and surged upward, feeling the pull of my muscles, the air whistling through my secondary feathers, the breeze drying the sweat on my face._

_I soared up past the cliff edge, past the startled hounds and the furious Erasers._

_One of them, hairy-faced, fangs dripping, raised his gun. A red dot of light appeared on my torn nightgown. __Not today, you jerk__, I thought, veering sharply west so the sun would be in his hate-crazed eyes._

_I'm not going to die today._

I gape at Fang, just having finished his paper. It was beyond good; it was freaking unbelievable. It made me feel like _I_ was in the situation. Like I had been the person with wings, fleeing from the attacker- Erasers, he had called them. It was written so well that I could picture it, crystal clear in my mind.

"Fang." I stutter. "That's incredible writing."

He shrugs, looking slightly worn out. "Thanks. I liked yours, too. I never really thought about Ratatouille that way. It was written really well, especially the funny bits."

"No, Fang." I'm struck by how good his prose was once again. I have a sudden urge, a need to explain to him exactly how well he had written. "I could picture the scene. I felt like I was the boy with wings, flying, running. It felt like a memory, not a story. I have never read something as good as that."

"It wasn't a boy." Fang muttered. I don't think I was meant to hear it, but I did.

"It wasn't?"

He looks up uncomfortably. "Uh, no. It was a dream my friend had. My friend Max told me about it."

"Wow." I exhale. "You got that much detail from somebody else's story? She must be a heck of a story teller."

He studies me carefully before replying. "Yeah. Yeah, she is."

* * *

><p>"Matts, jeez." I croak. My voice comes out sounding strangled, probably because my head is buried in my pillow. But even through the scented blanket and pillow cover, the fumes are drifting towards my nose. I try to ignore it and stare at my blue patterned pillow case.<p>

"Chill, Max, it's just nail polish." She says, swiping the brush across her fingernails expertly.

"It stinks." I respond simply. I turn my head just enough to see her stick her tongue out at me.

A few minutes later, she gets up. "Okay, Max, I'm going for a walk."

I look up at her, surprised. "We only have a half hour before curfew. And you told me that Ms. Crooks can sniff out a late person sneaking in better than a bloodhound."

She waves her hand absently. "Thirty minutes is plenty of time." Then, seeing my yawn, she continues, "Don't wait up for me."

"I won't." I mumble sleepily. I put my head down on my sweet, soft pillow and take a deep breathe. Mmmmm. "Night, Mattie." I say, but I'm not sure if she hears me. Seconds later, I hear the door close. I press my cool hand against my cheek. I had begged to go to Florida, but I hadn't even thought about the insane heat. It was fall, for goodness' sake! And it was 90 degrees outside! I couldn't wait to fall asleep. Heat didn't bother me when I was asleep. Once I was out, I was out for good.

"Max." I hear a whisper. I whip my head up and search the room, but Mattie had turned the lights off and closed the door, so it was pitch black. I might as well have been searching for black in a dark room.

"Brigid?" I ask, my heart pounding. It was more of adrenaline than fear, but I was still slightly anxious at to who this could be.

"No, but I'll only show myself if you promise not to freak."

"Uh, okay. Only if you're not um, freaky." I reply, still pretty (for lack of a better word) freaked. The figure steps out into the tiny space lit up by my clock.

"Fang? What on earth are you doing here?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN- A bunch of people were curious, so here's the deal: The Flock WILL be in the story. I don't have an exact chapter estimate just yet, but I'm guessing that it will be around chapter 15. Also, this story takes place any time after Max or Fang, but before Angel and before Fang leaves in Fang.**

**Reviews are like the frosting on a doughnut. Frosting makes the doughnut sweeter :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

"Shh!" He shushes instantly. I get up and flick the lights on. I was glad I had worn my more concealing pajamas as opposed to my boy shorts, even if they were spider-man patterned.

"What are you doing, Fang?" I repeat.

He shifts uncomfortably. Good. That makes two of us. "I needed to tell you something."

I wave my arm at him. "By all means, go ahead."

His eyes bore into mine with a freaky amount of focus. I shrink back, but cannot move my eyes from his; I've lost myself in his eyes. It's not cheesy love, it's eerie. His eyes, just like other bits of him, seem achingly familiar, seem like I should know him, seem as if I should confess all my thoughts to him, all my fears and ideas and loves. I manage to tear myself away from his gaze a few seconds later.

"What are you, a freaking hypnotist?" I snap.

He looks at me, sad and long. "No, not exactly."

When he takes too long to continue, I speak up again, impatient. "Then _what?"_

His dark eyes still don't leave mine. "I'm not really sure where to start."

"At the beginning." I suggest rudely. He smiles at me patronizingly, which only infuriates me further. "Kindly explain why the heck you're in my room at 10:30 in the night, all alone, without invitation, speaking in riddles like a fortune cookie."

He looks away for the first time, and when he turn back to face me, his eyes are swirled with sorrow. I feel a pang in my chest at his sadness, but force myself to push it away. _I don't care about him! I only met him a few days ago! _I chant, but the tiny shard of ice that has formed on my heart is quickly melting by the expression on his face. I resolve to giving him the silent treatment and cross my arms. He can explain when he's ready to.

"You don't remember any of it, do you?" He says softly after several beats of silence.

"Remember what?" I ask, my curiosity stronger than my resolution.

He blinks slowly. "No, you don't. I can't dump it all on you at once. But Max…" He trails off.

Again, after several moments of silence, I pipe up. "What, Fang?" My tone is bewildered, but less rude.

"Things aren't always what they seem. Promise me you'll think about that." His eyes search my face for something, I don't know what, but when I nod, he looks away. On that cliché, cryptic note, he walks out of my room.

That's cool.

Nice talking to you, too.

* * *

><p>"Maaaax, wake UP!" I wake up with a start and roll out of bed. Mattie laughs openly at my posture on the ground. I'm rolled up like a taco in my sheets, and it takes me a few seconds to pull myself out of the bundle. I place the sheets on the bed, which contrasts extremely from both Mattie and Brigid's perfectly made beds.<p>

"Good morning." I try to mumble, but I'm pretty sure it comes out as a snarl. I stumble to the bathroom and lock the door behind me. I groan when I see my reflection.

I'm having one of _those_ days.

What, you mean you don't have them? Funny. Everybody cool has them, so I guess that speaks volumes about you. It was one of those days where I had dark circles under my eyes; my face chose to sprout a zit, my forehead looked greasy and my hair incredibly tangled and frizzy. I'm not one to care about how I look, especially for school, but I refused to look like a total bum on the street.

I lean against the wall and fall to the ground with an audible thump.

"Max?" Mattie calls from the other side of the door. I groan in response. "Max, don't fall asleep with the door locked, please! I haven't finished doing my hair." I force myself to get up and unlock the door. I sit on the edge of the bath tub when Mattie comes in.

"What's up with you?" She asks, not unkindly.

I shrug. "It's one of _those_ days."

Because Mattie is cool, she knows what I mean. She nods understandingly as she looks me up and down.

"Stop checking me out." I say, too tired to think of something wittier.

Brigid pokes her head through the door and tsks at me loudly. Then she enters the bathroom and begins liberally applying some goop to her face. I watch her lean close to the mirror and use a fat little brush to pat some blush onto her cheeks.

"Brigid, I know we don't like each other, but I need to borrow some make up." Mattie announces. Brigid turns to her and looks at her sharply.

"Excuse me, but _why?"_ She snaps, her face awkwardly colored from only having finished half her make up.

"Because your skin tone is much closer to Max's than mine. And look at her, she _needs_ some foundation." Mattie pleads uncharacteristically.

Brigid and Mattie both look over at me and inspect me. I look them straight in the eye, not self conscious in the least.

"Yeah." Brigid says eventually. "She does need it."

"No, I don't." I object. "I'm going to shower, and then I'll be fine!"

They both shake their heads, freakily in unison. "Shower." Mattie suggests. "And then we'll fix you right up."

Yawning obnoxiously, I trudge into the shower. No, I'm not being compliant, but it'll be easier to resist them when I'm more awake and showered. Besides, this way, if it comes to a hand to hand fight, I can slip past them and run to the dining hall. Breakfast makes everything better, always. I turn the water to the hottest it can go, although it's nearly scalding. I just stand there, not bothering to shave or soap up or anything. The hot water running off my body feels amazing, and wakes me up like a jolt of caffeine.

I jump out of the shower when the water begins to turn lukewarm. Nothing ruins a hot shower more than getting hit with a blast of cold water right at the end. I toss on an old soccer t shirt and jean shorts and stride out of the bathroom, where a pair of rabid dogs are waiting for me.

Oh, I'm sorry. Did I say rabid dogs? I meant Mattie and Brigid, armed with a bottle of foundation and a tube of cover up, respectively.

There's only one thing to do when dogs are after you.

You run.

* * *

><p>I cross my arms and pout all the way down five flights of stairs. Mattie sighs aggravated-ly beside me.<p>

"Chill, Max," She orders. "You got your way, anyway. You look exceptionally ordinary." She was right. In the end, I had won, pretty much. Mattie had got in a few swipes with the cover up, but other than that, my face was makeup free. I had let her put my hair up in a 'tasteful bun' as opposed to a sloppy ponytail, but I still looked like me.

"Okay!" I chirp, bounding down the last few stairs and out the door. Mattie rolls her eyes at my bi-polarness. Upon entering the dining hall, I pile my plate up with fruit and grab a milkshake. Who says I'm not healthy? We join Nate, Noah and Julia at our table. I dig in earnestly, and the others don't spare me a second glance. They've grown quite accustomed to it, I imagine.

"Max, are you even listening to me?" A voice jolts me out of my eating. I look up to see Sam waving his hand in front of my face. I look around wildly and realize that at some point, Dylan, Sam and Fang had joined us.

"Nope!" I answer truthfully. "What were you saying?"

Sam shakes his head. "Soccer try outs are tomorrow at 4, okay? Bring water, and expect it to take about 3 hours."

I nod enthusiastically. "Splendid! I'll be there right on the dot."

Dylan raises one eyebrow. "Come early to warm up, silly."

"I'll be there!" Nate announces randomly. I laugh.

"That's nice, Noah. I'll be there to watch." Julia says, her mouth full of food.

"Ew, close your mouth." I tell her. She sticks her tongue out at me.

"Everyone important will be playing, remember?" Nate asks, ignoring our exchange. Julia gasps and throws an apple piece from my plate at him. It hits him straight in the eye and he falls to the ground in fake agony.

As for the throwing food thing? I guess it's sort of a tradition.

* * *

><p>"WE'RE FREEEEEE!" Nate yells as we walk out of team sports. I smile, sort of tired. The first day of gym, I had quickly proven that just because I was the only girl did not make me inept at sports. I showed up most of the guys there, and then they quit treating me like some girly girl. Now, since we were playing football, I was second pick, only after Dylan. Which makes sense, considering that he was the football captain. But I was determined to eventually become first pick in everything, but it could wait for now. I didn't want to tire myself out right before soccer tryouts.<p>

"Max?" Sam asks. I look up and realize that I've slowed down, and everybody else is a few steps ahead of me except for Sam.

"Hmm?"

"Do you want to go see a movie tonight?" He shifts his weight from back to front, his face anxious and expectant.

"That sounds great!" I exclaim, wrapping my arms around him. He looks surprised at my enthusiasm.

"Nate, Noah, Dylan, Fang!" I continue equally loudly. They turn. I've gotten their attention, and that of everybody in the 30 foot vicinity. I lower my voice slightly. "We're going to the movies tonight! And Noah, you will not be invited if you say anything to your dad."

Everyone smiles. "Great idea, Max!" Nate says happily. "What movie?"

I shrug. "It was Sam's idea. And we can vote on it when we get there. I don't have any clue what's playing."

I run up to the common room where we normally meet Mattie and Julia.

"Movie night!" I announce. Everyone looks up. "Sam's driving."

Mattie smiles. "Did you get Noah to agree?"

"Oh, shut up." Noah grumbles. "Just because my dad's the principle doesn't mean I'm a total goody-two shoes. At least I don't vote to watch girly chick flicks like Nate does."

Nate blushes faintly while everyone laughs. Noah continues, "Max and Fang will tip the scale in favor of us, hopefully."

"Wait, what?" I question, slightly confused.

"Me, Sam and Dylan would always pick and action or horror movie. And Mattie, Julia and Nate would always choose a comedy or romance. We always had a tie whenever we went to the movies. Cue many arguments and unhappy people."

"I'm honored to be the breaker of the tie," I say dramatically, fake curtsying.

"Don't get too big a head." Julia retorts. "You're forgetting about Fang."

I scrunch my nose up at the mention of Fang. Everyone else was safe. Fang confused me. I liked being in total control of myself, and confusion was dangerous. I could never decipher his thoughts from his cryptic movements or words. And what did he mean: things aren't always what they seem to be? Thanks for the advice, Mr. Cheap-o Fortune Cookie.

Mattie picks up on my mood change. She knows there's something I'm neglecting to tell her, so she shoots me a knowing look before changing the subject. "We won't all fit in Sam's car."

"You can take mine." Dylan speaks up for the first time. He sounds kind of unhappy. "I can't come, though. Football practice." He shrugs by way of explanation.

"Aw." Julia says, and I nod alongside her.

"Skip for just a day." I suggest, but he shakes his head.

"I can't; I'm the captain. That'd be setting a bad example. You all have fun." He tosses us his keys and walks away. We all look at each other and back at him, not really sure whether to go after him or not.

"He'll come around." Nate eventually says. We all murmur our agreement and pile into Dylan's black suburban. It's the classic bad guy vehicle, and I have to admit I felt sort of badass climbing in.

"We're off to see the wizard!" Noah begins to sing.

I join him while everyone else groans. "The wonderful wizard of Oz!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Awkward place to end, I know, but I wanted to put up what I had. Next chapter will certainly move things along, plot wise. Review? **


	10. Chapter 10

**Over a 100 reviews by the 10th chapter? Thanks, guys! :D**

**You're going to kill me for this chapter. Seriously. I think I'm going to go into hiding. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

"What did you think?" Nate asks as we walk out of the theater.

"Cheesy," I comment, wrapping my arms around myself as a shield against the wind. This Floridian weather was more bipolar than I was! All day long, the heat would be scorching, but as soon as it became 7, the temperature would literally drop 30 degrees. It was still 60 degrees outside- which was practically warm, by New Jersey standards- but it seemed chilly after a day full of scalding heat.

"What? That was freaky!" Julia exclaims, pulling on a beige jacket. I'm wishing I brought one too.

"Seriously." Mattie agrees. "Max, don't be surprised if I climb into bed with you tonight."

I shake my head. "It was too predictable. Every single horror movie begins when the children warn the parents of something creepy and the parents don't listen. This was no different."

Noah raises his eyebrow. "So you weren't even the slightest bit scared?"

"Nope!" I turn around to see Sam trailing behind us. "What's with him?" I ask to nobody in particular.

"Go see." Fang says, and I ignore him. I'm still working on figuring him out. I do walk over to Sam, though.

"What's up?" I ask softly, shivering.

He smiles bitterly and takes off his jacket. He offers it to me and I wrap it around my shoulders gratefully. "When I asked if you wanted to go to the movies earlier…I kind of meant it like a date."

Oh. I feel the heat creep into my cheeks. "Sam, you should have said something…" I trail off, knowing I didn't exactly give him an opportunity to say anything. "Well," I restart, "I'm really sorry, but I'm not looking for a relationship right now."

Sam nods. "Clearly. Still friends, right? I wouldn't want that to change."

"Of course!" I say, sticking my pinky out. Sam scoffs, but we hook pinkies.

He still looks a little down, so I speak again a few seconds later. "Don't worry, Sam, I always keep my promises."

* * *

><p>"He WHAT?" Julia screeches.<p>

Mattie nods earnestly. "Right? He has the nerve to actually say that to me, AFTER I find him cheating on me?"

"He's a douche, Matts, chill." Nate pipes up. We're all sitting in mine and Mattie's room, hanging out since it's still too early to go to bed. We had bought some pizza and were content with stuffing our faces up here, instead of at the dining hall.

I yawn obnoxiously. "Wow, Max." Noah remarks. "It's only 9:30 and you're that tired?"

I shrug. "Sleep is amazing. I always sleep, because you never know when you'll have another chance to."

Fang sharply turns to me, but doesn't speak. Sam, on the other hand, does. "You say that like you've lived your whole life on the run."

I scoff. "Not quite. I just like to sleep; that's all."

Dylan shakes his head at me. "You crazy girl."

I shrug as Julia gasps loudly. We all turn to her. "What's wrong?" Noah's the first one to ask.

"Uh," She begins, her face looking anxiously on her phone. She presses a few buttons before answering. "It's not 9:30. It's 11. Your clock is broken."

I smile, knowing there was a reason for my being so tired. Everybody else groans, though, because we still have to get up early for school tomorrow. Sam and Dylan, however, bolt up with a start and run out the door, yelling behind them about having practice at 5.

"Sucks to be them." Nate says raising his eyebrows at their haggard departure.

"Tell me about it. I have to finish a paper for Ingles, so I'm heading out, too. Goodnight!" And with that, Julia leaves as well. Noah looks at us, and then at her retreating back and then gets up to follow her. I smirk at his blush, but he doesn't see it.

"You know, Max." Mattie begins deviously. I look at her, apprehensive, and she winks at me. "I think I feel like grabbing a midnight snack. Come on, Nate!" She too gets up and walks out, dragging a confused Nate behind her by the hand.

Which leaves Fang and I.

I can't help but realize that this had been planned. I thought nobody noticed the awkwardness between me and Fang, but apparently Mattie had.

"So." Fang states.

"So." I agree, speaking directly to him for the first time since his creepy adventure into my room last night.

After several beats of silence, I speak up again. "Do I know you, Fang? Don't you dare lie to me."

He looks at me for a long moment, and then slowly nods. "Max, you've known me for more than 14 years now."

I furrow my brow. _What_ is he talking about? "Were we little kid play dates or something?"

Fang bites his lip and looks away, and the small, stupid, girly part of me thinks he looks pretty cute when he did it. But you didn't hear that from me.

"No, not exactly." He says, still not looking at me. "I can't think of any other way to do this, Max, so I'm just going to spit it out." His voice sounds raw, as if he might cry. I'm utterly confused as to why he would be so emotional about me forgetting him. It's not like he and I were friends, so come on now.

"Max, I have wings. So do you. We lived together up until we were 14, and then you got captured, and I finally found you here."

I stare at him for a minute, unblinking, and then burst out laughing. In between snorts, I somehow manage to get out, "That's a…good one…wings, as if!...You had me going there, for a while."

He stares at me, deadpanned. A minute later, I figure it out. "You're not kidding." I state, equally unemotionally.

He shakes his head slowly. "No, I'm not."

"Fang, that's ridiculous! I would know if I had wings, don't you think?" I pull down my shirt to show him smooth, tan, flat back.

His eyebrows knit together, his first sign of emotion. "They're right there, Max. They're white and tawny and speckled and beautiful." He blushes as he says the last words, and I frown.

"Hold on. You said we _lived together?_"

"Not just us. You, me, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel."

"But that's…but those are your friends! From your old school!"

He smiles grimly. "I also said I knew a Max. That was girl, and how many girls named Max have you met? That was you, silly. You and Nudge got captured one day, and I don't know what they did to you, but you don't remember any of it."

"Fang…" I trail off, looking at his hopeful face. The poor guy thinks I'm his long lost friend, but I'm not! I have 16 years of memories to prove that I lived with my family, and lived in New Jersey, and had a little sister named Brooke and a best friend named Drew. "Fang, maybe you believe that you have wings." I word my thoughts carefully. He seems kind of unstable, making up such incredulous things, and I don't want to push him into a depression or something. "But I don't. You've got the wrong girl."

Fang looks at me, his expression unreadable. Something is storming in his dark eyes, but I can't make out what. "No, Max. I know exactly who you are. I know that you love chocolate cookies, and that your mom's name if Anne and your dad's is Jeb. I know you hate hospitals, and that needles freak you out. You have claustrophobia. You're sarcastic, and your hair looks like a nest in the mornings. You bite your lip when you're thinking and twirl that strand of hair on your finger when you're nervous. You're amazing at fighting. How would I know all that, Max, if I hadn't known you for 14 years? Do you want me to keep going? I can."

I shake my head and interrupt him. "Fang, you know how I promised you I wouldn't freak, but only if you weren't freaky?"

"Yeah," He says uncertainly, unsure where I'm going with this.

"You're borderline psychotic. Way past freaky. I don't know why I'm being so calm about it, because stuff like my claustrophobia I haven't told anyone. Not even my parents. The fact that you know that is beyond creepy. I'm pretty freaked." My voice breaks on the last sentence and I hate myself for it.

"Max, you told me. " Fang says, his eyes softer. "We were best friends. We are best friends."

"I don't know you!" I yell, half hysterical. "I just met you last week!"

"You'll remember." And then he crushes his lips to mine.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- I'm a horrible person, I know. This was just the best place to end the chapter! At least Fang finally told her, right? That makes it better?**

**-cringes- Okay, maybe not.**

**Review for sake of me putting the next chapter up sooner!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:  
><strong>

_Oh._

_My._

_Gosh._

It wasn't just a kiss. It was one of _those_ kisses. Just like _those_ days, they were rare and far in between, but when it hit you in the face, there was no doubt as to what it was. Fang's lips move against mine in the most familiar pattern ever. I close my eyes and try to let my instincts take over, to see if there was any truth to his ridiculous story.

My hands fly up into his hair. _Oh my gosh. _So soft. I know his hair. I have felt it before. He puts his hands on my waist, never any lower or higher, the perfect gentleman. His touch is familiar. I move closer to him, his body fits just right against mine. It's perfect. It's recognizable. I've felt it before.

I'm breathing deeply now- not out of desire, or lust, but out of shock. I know his lips. I know their contours, the way his lips taste- like dark chocolate and a thousand other things that shouldn't taste good together but do. He leans his head down to kiss me more deeply.

_Oh my gosh. _

My head turns as well, automatically. I have never kissed anyone this way before, but with him it feels appropriate. It feels right. As if we have done it countless times before.

It's not a passionate kiss- it is an urgent kiss. Pleading, begging for me to remember.

I know his heartbeat. _Ba-dum, Ba-dum, _against my own beating chest. I have heard it before. My hand trails down to his heart. It pulses slightly, constantly against my finger tips. I have felt this before.

_Oh my gosh._

We pull apart, both breathing heavily. His eyes- _oh my gosh. _I know his eyes. The same ones that bore into mine with such intensity- how could I have forgotten his eyes? The sparkling black orbs that I can see my reflection in reflect hope. He nods slightly, encouraging.

I nod slightly, accepting. We have come to an agreement. We draw a few centimeters apart. Slowly I lift my hand from his chest and move it to the back of his neck. I gulp. His eyes are still looking into mine. He nods once more, but it's clearer than if he had shouted it. _You can do it_, he is saying. I bite my lip and let my hand trace down his back.

Nothing.

I let out a shaky breath I hadn't realized I had been holding. Fang looks expectantly at me and I force my face to become devoid of emotion. I squeeze my eyes shut, not wanting to see his hurt expression, and shake my head no.

I squint out through one of my eyes. Fang's blank charade has been dropped. He openly stares at me with hurt. His eyes, _oh my gosh_. Swirling with sorrow, with anger, with frustration. I want to apologize. What can I say? 'Oh, by the way, I'm sorry I didn't feel wings on your back and that I have no clue who you are when you claim to have known me your whole life and must be speaking some semblance of truth, because you just kissed me and proved that you are utterly familiar to my body, even if my mind can't accept it.'

My pride prevents me from apologizing. It's not my fault, so the words aren't going to come out of my mouth. _I'm sorry._ Seven letters that rarely escape my mouth. I think the words as hard as I can. Too bad he's not telepathic. He's still looking at me with an expression of utter distress.

_I love you._ Eight more letters pop into my mind- eight letters that leave my mouth even less frequently than _I'm sorry._ I shake my head, as if that will clear it.

It has become an infection. My mind is whirling with _I'm so sorry I love you I love you I love you so I'm so sorry I'm sorry I love I'm sorry I'm so sorry I love you so I love you I love I'm sorry_.

It doesn't make sense.

Nothing makes sense. I look up again, into Fang's eyes.

They are closed off. There is no expression but that of guarded weariness.

It breaks my heart.

Where is the openness we had just heartbeats ago?

Without warning, he turns and opens my window. I don't speak. There is a mood between us, and no matter how somber it may be, I cannot kill it. No words could do justice to my thoughts, so why bother?

He looks at me one last time. I try to pour into my expression everything I can't say- everything I'm not even allowing myself to think.

He nods slightly. In acceptance, or just a reflex, I'll never know. Then, he turns and jumps out the window.

_Oh my gosh._

**Fang's POV:**

I watch her from my perch in the treetop. She doesn't move for a brief second, shocked. Then, she rushes to the window and frantically looks down. She's searching for me.

"Fang?" I hear her yell. Her voice is interlaced with worry, with confusion. It might not be her fault, but I hate her for becoming this. For making me watch her act like she has no idea who I am. For making me see her act normal. For making me watch her be caged down to this Earth.

Max is the most free spirit I know. Without the wings, without the leadership qualities, it's not even her anymore.

But I could never hate her. I hate what she's done to me. What she's reduced me to.

Perched in a tree, watching her search the ground for a boy with wings.

"Fang?" I hear her call out once more.

I want to scream out, let her know I'm right here. I have rarely heard fear in Max's voice before, and to hear it now breaks my heart.

"Max." I whisper, far too softly for her to hear. It's still an indulgence, one I shouldn't allow. "Max."

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Sort of a short chapter, but three in one weekend? :D I didn't want to keep you all waiting any longer.**

**Reviews are like people at a party. The more, the merrier.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

When I got to breakfast the next day, Fang was no where in sight. I couldn't stop thinking about what he said. About how freaking familiar his kiss was. I now _knew, _for sure, that Fang and I had something behind us, a past I couldn't quite remember. But how could what he said be true? I'd know if I had wings! I'd know if I had grown up in a cage, or if I had lived with five other kids!

No, it couldn't be. Yes, there was some connection between Fang and I, and it was surely an important one- but not the one he told me. I would do anything to figure out how I know him, but it's an unanswerable question. He says he lived in Colorado, and I lived in New Jersey. I've never been out of state, so although he'd traveled around the country, there was no way I could have met him.

"Max?" Nate's voice interrupts my thoughts. "You okay?"

I look up, realizing that everyone was staring at me. "Huh? Yeah, I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You haven't said a word all morning." Mattie says knowingly, shooting me a look.

"_And_ you haven't touched your food yet. That's unheard of, for you." Noah teases. I shrug.

"I'm just…out of it, I guess. Don't worry about it, I'll be back to normal in a little." I reply, glaring at my cereal as if it had been the cause of my problems.

Julia hesitates. "Okay, if you're sure. But Max-"

"Leave her be." Nate cuts her off. "She'll be fine." I flash him a grateful smile before returning to my thoughts. I would find Fang, I decided. And I would hold him up by the scruff until he gave me some answers. Those karate skills had to be good for something!

As if on cue, Mattie asks, "Where are Dylan, Sam, and Fang?"

"Dylan and Sam have practice," Noah lists, "And I have no idea about Fang. Heck, I still don't know what dorm number he's in."

"I'm sure he'll show up." Julia says, and then turns the conversation back onto something mindless. I tune them out again and think until it's time to go to class, but my mind goes in circles over what I already know. I stand up expressionlessly with the rest of them, and enter the classroom by myself.

"Good morning, Max." Mr. Smith greets me. I simply nod, acknowledging him. I scoot into my seat and wait ten minutes, but Fang is still not here, and class is about to start.

"Alright, discussion time!" Mr. Smith claps his hands together. "Dumas often writes about Dante's time is prison as if it were a death. What do you think is the significance of this choice of language?"

The door bursts open, and in comes- you guessed it- Fang. "Sorry." He mutters, stumbling to an empty seat in the front instead of his regular one next to mine.

"Just don't make a habit of it, Mr. Ride. How about you answer our question?" Mr. Smith repeats his question, and Fang purses his lips thoughtfully before responding.

"Every human being has two sides- better and worse. When Dante went into prison, he was innocent, honest, kind, and loving. When he comes out, he is bitter, vengeful, and full of hate. It truly is a death, not of Dante, but of his humanity."

Mr. Smith smiles largely. "Excellent answer, Mr. Ride! Yes, Dante was your average human being before going to prison, albeit on the more good side. What it is important to remember, is that Dumas…"

I tune our teacher out as he rambles on about the book. Maybe he was feeling gracious, or maybe I was just lucky, but not once did he call me out for not paying attention or even pick me to answer a question. When class finally ends, I move down and sit next to Fang, since we both have Mr. Smith for creative writing as well. He stiffens but doesn't turn to me or make any sign of acknowledgement.

I wait a full minute before I burst out, "WHAT is your problem? Where did you go last night?"

He faces front, his jaw clenched, eyes tight. He doesn't response or even move. I punch his shoulder, and not lightly, either. Still, he doesn't turn to me, although his eye betrays him with the slightest twitch.

I wait another few minutes, but he remains unresponsive. "You jerk!" I spit, turning away and facing front as well. I don't move from next to him, because I want answers.

He wants to be silent?

Fine.

Two can play at that game.

* * *

><p>"Are you back to normal?" Nate asks as we sit in our rows for team sports. I shrug.<p>

"I guess. I just...I wanted….Actually, I have no idea." I reply honestly. After Fang's…episode in Creative Writing, I hadn't seen him all day. I hadn't gotten any answers, but I was acting mostly like I normally would with the rest of my friends.

Noah smiles from the other side of me while Sam and Dylan look on, confused. They hadn't been there this morning to witness my uncharacteristic behavior. "A few laps around the track and your competitive side will come out for sure." Noah remarks, mock punching me in the arm.

I allow myself a small smile. "I sure hope so."

"Class, today is a free day!" Coach announces. Everyone cheers, but he puts his hands up in the universal hold-your-horses gesture. "First, though, run 5 laps! That's a mile and a quarter, so it should take you less than 9 minutes. Then you can play soccer, football, or outdoor basketball."

"Can we start a capture the flag game?" One of the kids up front asks. I perk up immediately. Capture the flag happens to be one of my many fortes.

"Sure, if the class plays." Our coach responds. The class murmurs their general acceptance, and he claps his hands together. "Make that 4 laps, then, and you can play capture the flag in the woods after."

We start off on the track, and I sprint as fast as I can. I easily overlap my friends, who aren't really trying, and then overlap them once again.

"Tone it down a notch, Max!" Coach calls from his trackside seat. "I don't want you hurting yourself!"

Ridiculous. I ignore him and speed up. I could effortlessly keep up this pace for miles, and right now I wanted to run, _hard._ For at least a few moments, I can forget about stupid Fang, hopefully.

All I hear is the slap of my feet hitting the pavement.

_Thump, thump, thump, breathe._

Fang is such an idiot.

_Thump, thump, thump, breathe._

What did he mean, telling me things like that and then ignoring me after?

_Thump, thump, thump, breathe._

It was worse than last time- we KISSED! Did that not mean anything to him?

_Thump, thump, thump, breathe._

I wasn't an 'easy' girl, to go out with anybody after days of knowing them.

_Thump, thump, thump, breathe._

But Fang was different. I felt like I had known him my whole life.

_Thump, thump, thump, breathe._

Isn't that what does corny teen magazines tell you love feels like?

_Thump, thump, thump, breathe._

But that's preposterous. I'm NOT in love with Fang.

_Thump, thump, thump, breathe._

I've known him for less than two weeks!

_Thump, thump, thump, breathe._

Unless his story is true.

_Thump, thump, thump, breathe._

Now I'm being ridiculous. I have an excellent memory of my past, and Fang's not in it.

_Thump, thump, thump, breathe._

But he sounded so hopeful. So earnest. That's not something to joke about, and he knows it.

_Thump, thump, thump, breathe._

I can't put a word of trust in him, though, since I don't have freaking WINGS.

_Thump, thump, thump, breathe._

"Max, you can stop!" Coach's voice jolts me out of my thoughts.

"Can I keep running?" I ask, not in the least winded.

His jaw literally drops open. "You just ran 2 miles in 9 minutes and you want to _keep going?_"

I nod. He furrows his brow. "You're not even breathing hard! Keep going, if you want. Why aren't you on my track team?"

"I want to play soccer." I reply, trying to be polite but really just wanting to go back to running and my thoughts.

He nods. "So I'll see you later today at tryouts?"

Once again, I nod wordlessly, my eyes flicking back and forth between him and the track, hoping he'll get the hint. He motions for me to keep running, and I happily oblige.

_Thump, thump, thump, breathe._

Enough thoughts. I'm just going to run, and I'm going to ENJOY IT.

_Thump, thump, thump, breathe. Thump, thump, thump, breathe._

"Max!" I hear a voice. I ignore it.

_Thump, thump, thump, breathe. Thump, thump, thump, breathe._

"Max, please!" It's more urgent now, but I don't look up. The next person who interrupts me will be beat up badly by yours truly, regardless of who it is.

_Thump, thump, thump, breathe. Thump, thump, thump, breathe._

"MAX!" The voice roars. I look up, glaring, with a snarl. It's Fang, standing in the trees, which only infuriates me further.

"You have three seconds," I begin, my voice dangerously, misleadingly calm. "Three seconds to leave me alone and apologize, or God help me I will _kill you._"

"I'm sorry, Max. But I'm not leaving." He says determinedly. "I need to explain. It wasn't fair to leave you that way last night, and I'm sorry. But you need to hear me out."

With a growl, I launch myself at him, pummeling his body with punches. He blocks all of them but doesn't reciprocate. I back off, pissed beyond reason. I lunge for him again, sidestepping his block to slap his face, hard. The resounding_ crack_ is satisfying to my ears, although I can't help but feel a little bad for him. Not all of us know karate, after all.

His face hardens. He roundhouse kicks me, and I duck, but it still catches me in the stomach, knocking the air out of me.

So much for being a gentleman. This is war, and he's on.

I elbow him, spinning and trying to put all my force behind it, but it catches his cheek instead of his nose. He punches my gut again and steps on my toe. I hiss, both from pain and anger, and jump onto him, but he shakes me off. He launches a spinning kick at me, but I grab his foot and twist, effectively throwing him to the ground. He's back on his feet within seconds, and slashes at my knees hard enough to make me see stars for a brief second.

I tackle him to the ground, and we both have each other in a stranglehold, a stalemate.

Now I am breathing hard. "If I let you go," Fang says shakily. "Do you promise not to kill me?"

I nod. We detangle ourselves from each other, sitting several feet apart, catching our breath. For some reason, I'm happier than I've been all day. My head and heart feel light, as if I had an important secret that I finally found the courage to confide in someone.

"You're…really good…at fighting. I think…I've met my…match." I say in between pants.

He nods. "We learned together. You've always been able to get the better of me, but we've both changed over the past two years."

"I'd say we're even."

"Look, Max, I really am sorry about everything. I'm sorry I have to dump all this stuff on you at once, but there's really no other way. I understand being told your whole world isn't exactly real by a complete stranger is disorienting." He winces at the words 'complete stranger,' and then continues, "You probably want proof, and I can't give it to you, because you don't see my wings."

I make an executive decision to tell him the whole and complete truth. Fang, for some reason, makes me want to tell him everything. Not in a hypnotic way, but in a comforting way.

"When we kissed…I remember you. Not us, not wings, nothing else, but I know I know you."

He looks up, his eyes filled with hope for the first time. I keep going, "How did you get away without me seeing you last night?"

"I flew." He says softly. I inhale sharply. It makes sense. I had been searching the ground, not the skies.

"Fly now." I suggest. "Just hover a few inches off the ground. Then I'll have no choice but to believe you."

He shakes his head. "I can't, not where people might see."

I gesture to the woods. He nods, and we walk far into the trees together. Once I think we're deep enough that any capture the flag stragglers won't see us, I sit down cross legged.

"Go ahead." I say, and he nods once again.

He takes his shirt off, and _hot damn_, that boy has abs. I gulp and look away, not wanting to be caught staring. I think he notices, though, because the corners of his lips turn up in a smirk.

A few seconds later, I look back. "Come on now, _fly._"

"What? I am flying," He says, his voice incredulous. I stare at him.

"Uh, Fang? Both your feet are on the ground. You haven't moved."

He groans loudly. "How about now?" He asks me, his voice slightly more distant.

"Your voice sounds further away, but you still haven't risen up off the ground."

He exhales and then puts his shirt back on. _Thank god._

"I don't know what to tell you. You probably think I'm a total nutcase." He says, walking over to me.

I nod. "I might." I say as he sits down next to me. "If not for this."

And because I have nothing to lose, I lean over and kiss him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- I am in such a bad mood. I do not feel like writing all the reasons right now. Just know that I am.**

**I'll try to update again...tomorrow, maybe? Sunday? I'll try. In any case, review! :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

_I'm staring into a fire. Somebody- Fang? - is rubbing circles on my back. I move my mouth but I can't make out what words I'm saying. Fang looks down at me, and whispers something softly. I don't understand it, either. And then he puts his mouth over mine. He kisses me slowly, softly, while I sit there, frozen. I can feel his warm breath caress my face when I pull away. _

Gasping, I pull away from the real Fang. Openmouthed, I stare at him in shock. My fingers touch his face, and to his credit, he doesn't move. He has the same guarded expression as always, but he hasn't done as good of a job. I can see hope, determination, and maybe even longing in his eyes. I lean back in to kiss him again. The minute our lips connect, I inhale sharply- it feels like a jolt of electricity has passed between us.

_Fang and I are with two other kids on a beach, looking much younger than we are now. Thirteen, or fourteen at the most. Fang looks badly hurt- broken and bruised, bleeding everywhere. I see two smaller figures in the distance, both blond. I lean down and kiss Fang hard on the mouth. It's barely a peck, but his eyes flick open instantly._

"I can't do this." The real Fang stutters. He pushes me away and begins walking further into the woods. It takes me a second to get my bearings, to figure out where I am and what is going on.

"Fang, wait." I say, and he stops instantly. He doesn't turn around, but I can see the muscles in his legs straining, his fists clenched tight enough to make his knuckles go white. I walk up to him deliberately, turning around so that I face him directly. I look up into his eyes and for the first time, I realize that he is several inches taller than me. In both of my visions…flashbacks…memories…I struggle to think of a word. In both of the scenes I pictured, we looked just about the same height, although in the second one we looked much younger.

We stand there for several moments, each of us observing the other. I break the silence several minutes later. "I know your face." I whisper. His entire face visibly relaxes, although his body remains rigid as before. His eyes soften, looking at me with such sweetness I begin to wonder how I ever doubted him. What was the reason for my doubts? Oh yeah. The wings thing.

"Do you… believe me?" He asks carefully, cautiously. I hesitate before shaking my head no. Fang's face falls and assumes the stoic expression once again.

"No. Not yet. I believe that there is something between us for sure. I just…I just can't understand what." I murmur. An open expression works itself back onto his face, slower, but a lot happier. He nods in acceptance.

"I just need time, Fang," I continue. He sweeps me into a hard hug and I wrap my arms around him tightly. His face is buried in my hair when he replies, which is probably why it comes out sounding so muffled.

"Take your time, Max. It's the only thing I have left to offer you."

…

I take my time walking back to the track. Coach would assume that I had joined the capture the flag game, and my friends would think that I was still running. Who was Fang, really? I had arrived at no better conclusions than this morning, but there was one thing I was absolutely sure of. Fang existed in my past. I made a mental note to ask him just how 'close' we were, since you don't just go around kissing your best friend.

Maybe I didn't have any more proof; maybe I was no closer to finding an answer. But beyond doubt, I was _happy._ Happy that Fang wasn't a nutcase, happy that I wasn't just an out of place freak. Sure, I had friends at school, but my snarky attitude and mostly, my unorthodox beliefs normally scared people away. I always got the feeling that I was missing something, but Fang's explanation made so much sense! It would explain why I hated hospitals, and why I was claustrophobic. It explains why reading his story raised such deep feelings in me, when in reality, it was just good writing. Good, but not superb beyond anything I had ever read before. It explains why I had always felt that scientists experimented on humans in labs.

It explained a lot of things, but the one question burning my mind was left unexplained: if I was a flying mutant bird freak, _where were my wings?_

I get back to the field just in time; everyone else was walking in. I run to catch up with my friends.

"Who won?" I ask, scooting in between Dylan and Noah.

"Our team, of course!" Nate says, high fiving Noah. Sam smiles.

"Did you have a good run?" He asks.

I nod, not telling them about Fang. From the pains he went through to see me when I was alone, I could only assume that others weren't allowed to know.

"It's enchilada day!" Dylan remarks randomly. I laugh while Noah cheers.

"The food is always great here, but enchiladas are especially delicious. Every Thursday, the school has Mexican day, pretty much, so it's not just enchilada, but all sorts of yummy things." He explains.

"Cool!" I say simply but happily, and everyone smiles at my enthusiasm. I guess they had picked up on my mood swings more than I thought.

"Did you remember about try outs today?" Nate asks. I nod.

"Yup!" I say, popping the p. "I have everything in my locker."

Sam nods. "Alright, meet us back here in a few, then." I nod again, and leap off into the locker room. I'm the only girl in there, which might seem sort of lonely, but it's really nice. I get the showers to myself, and the hot water, and I don't have to put up with brats like Brigid. I throw on a different t shirt and pull on my soccer shirts. I sit down to pull on my shin guards and socks and cleats, and duck into the mirror room to put my hair up into a ponytail. I don't care about how it looks, but it needed to be tight enough that it would last and not get in my face while I played. For that purpose, I bobby pinned the shorter strands of hair down and lightly misted my hair with Mattie's hairspray, which I had borrowed from her this morning.

Satisfied, I walk back out where Sam, Noah, Nate, and Mattie are already kicking a ball around.

"Oh." Mattie says, looking awkwardly as if realizing for the first time that there were five people, and we warmed up in pairs.

"Keep going!" I call out to them. "I'll be fine."

Mattie smiles apologetically before turning her attention back to the ball.

"Need a partner?" A voice says from my right, and I whirl around.

I smile up at Fang, kicking the ball up at him. He catches it with his foot with ease. "I thought you didn't play soccer?" I ask, my voice both accusative and joking.

"I figured I might as well learn." He says, and jogs a small distance from me. We pass the ball back and forth to start with. Fang was, just as I had guessed, a natural athlete, even if he hadn't played soccer before. I tell him so when we stop to get water.

"It's a package deal," he teases. "It comes with the wings." His voice is light, but I see his eyes trained on me, observing my reaction. I laugh and run towards the small group gathering around coach.

"I'm Coach C, for the newbies. Let's start with sprints. It's self explanatory, cone to cone, eight times, fast as you can. On my whistle, okay?" He explains.

We nod and walk to the starting line. I smile as I take my place in between Fang and Mattie. The whistle blows sharply from my right and I launch off immediately, my initial reflex already placing me further than over half the runners. I out run everybody but Fang easily, and I'm not even breathing hard. He turns to look at me tauntingly, as if to say, _bring it on._ I smirk at him before speeding up a notch. He matches my pace easily. He moves a few paces ahead of me, but I quickly catch up and stay neck to neck with him. This continues for some while, going back and forth between the two of us.

"Tie." I gasp out, 6 sprints in. I have never pushed myself to run so hard or so fast before, and my lungs are screaming for air, my leg muscles protesting with each movement.

"Tie." Fang agrees, looking equally as tired. We slow ourselves down for the last two distances, and still finish minutes before the rest of the runners.

"You and you." Coach points at us with his pen. "Where have you been all my life?"

…

I close my textbook with a loud _thump!_ Brigid scowls from over by the mirror, but Mattie smiles at me.

"Done?" She asks.

"Yes, finally! I'm surprised she gave so much homework even though half the class plays soccer. When do we find out the results, by the way?" I reply.

Mattie waves her hand dismally at me. "She's always like that. And there will be a list on all the English class room doors tomorrow."

"Okay. I really hope I make it."

Mattie rolls her eyes. "Max, don't get a big head, but you're practically guaranteed a spot. You played better than almost everyone there, and you're new!"

"New to here, maybe. Not new to soccer."

"Will one of you help me get my new bureau up these godforsaken stairs?" Brigid interrupts. Her face is pulled into a grimace, as it always is when she talks to us.

I shake my head no. "Absolutely not." She glares at me, and I glare right back. She's got nothing on me! Only a few seconds later, she looks away.

"I will." Mattie answers, sighing. I stare at her in astonishment.

"Why?"

"It's the right thing to do." She says, her shoulders slumped.

"You're a far better person than I, Matts." I declare. Then, to Brigid, I say, "You should be thankful for that, too!"

She ignores me, and Mattie and Brigid walk out of the doorway together. I pantomime gagging so that Mattie can see, and she giggles before she disappears from view.

I stretch out on my bed contentedly, tired from a hard soccer work out but still pumped full of endorphins. I put my headphones in and put my playlist on shuffle.

_I'm so fly, I'm riding sky high, and I dare anybody to try to cut my wings…_

THUD!

I sit up and pull the headphones out of my ears, instantly alert. In a few seconds, I hear the noise again.

THUD!

I smile when I realize that it's something hitting my window. Rocks, probably, if he's continued with the cliché route.

I open up my window, calling out, "You know, you've really got to stop being such a creeper, Fang. Always meeting me in my room after dark."

But when I look down, it's not Fang that I see.

It's Dylan.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Tired, tired. I just watched the Vow. Cute movie :) And they showed the trailer for the Hunger Games! I almost died with excitement. CANNOT WAIT.**

**Who else is going to the Hunger Games midnight premiere?**

**Reviews can't bring the date closer, but they can make the days of waiting less agonizing :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

"Oh, hi Dylan," I call out, not trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice.

"Hey!" He replies, unfazed by my lack of enthusiasm. "Can I come up?"

"Sure." I shrug. "But how?

Dylan grasps the stone wall and starts to climb it like he's freaking Spiderman. He's found the tiniest foot and finger holds- nothing but miniscule hole between stones. I openly gape at him, and he smirks up at me upon seeing my reaction. This is five flights of stairs we're talking about, remember? It's no joke. He finally reaches the top, still looking as perfect as always, without a hair out of place. He motions for me to open the window, and when I do, he jumps inside gracefully. He smiles at me easily, but just as quickly as it comes, it disappears.

"Fang visits you at night?" He asks me, his voice sounding accusing.

"Uh, just once," I say, and then I try to divert his attention. "Why are you here?"

He smiles and shifts his weight to his other foot. "I know we haven't known each other very long, but…"

OHMYGODNO. Please tell me this isn't headed where I think it is.

Dylan continues, "But I really, really like you. And I was wondering if you'd maybe like to go out with me?"

Oh, no.

"Dylan, I…" I struggle to find the right words. After a minute, I try again. "Dylan, I'm really sorry, but I'm not looking for a relationship right now. And you're a good friend to me, but that's all that there is between us- friendship." I stare at him right in the eye, making sure to get my point across. He holds eye contact with me, his blue-green eyes full of sadness. For one second, I hesitate. It's not like I haven't dated friends before, even if all I thought there was between us was friendship. It didn't have to last forever and grow into marriage. I was in high school; I could fool around a little! And maybe I would say yes to Dylan if it wasn't for Fang.

Yes, I'd have to do some thinking about Dylan.

"Why?" Dylan interrupts my thoughts rudely. "Is it because of _Fang?_ Or even worse, _Sam_?"

I gasp. "You jerk! This has nothing to do with Fang or Sam! I can't believe you talk about your own friends that way. Besides, you're too freaking late. Sam already asked me out, and he was so nice about it, much nicer than you! If hadn't been for the fact that Fang and I obviously, you know, I might have even said yes!"

"Fang and you WHAT?" He exclaims, his voice all of sudden worried instead of angry. I swear this boy has the weirdest mood swings ever.

I roll my eyes. "It's none of your business, Dylan. Get out of my room. I don't want to see your face right now."

He ignores me, and grabs me tightly by the wrist instead. I narrow my eyes at him but don't push him away just yet. "Forget about me, Max." Dylan says, looking at me earnestly. "Fang isn't good for you. You need to stop hanging out with him."

"And who are you to tell me what is good for me and what's not?" I snap, and yank myself out of his grip. I clench my jaw and glare at him, but he's either very immune to it or very used to it.

"I know you're mad, but you have to believe me," Dylan pleads. "Come on, Max!"

"No, Dylan!" I yell. "It's none of your business who I hang out with or who I date or what I do! My own Mom doesn't try to control me so much, why are you butting into my life this way? The only reason I haven't hit you yet is because we've been friends for quite some time now, but I PROMISE that if you tell me one more annoying-"

"MAXIMUM!" He shouts. I stop talking mid word, stunned. It is the first time I've heard him raise his voice. When I speak again, my voice is dangerously, misleadingly calm. "What did you just call me? Are you seriously in on this?"

Dylan glares murderously at the floor. "He TOLD you? He actually told you?" He breaks off, muttering to himself. I think for a second, and then decide that since Fang doesn't like Dylan, he probably doesn't want Dylan to know about what Fang told me. And I personally didn't feel like sharing about the kiss. Well, kisses.

"What are you talking about?" I lie smoothly. "Mattie calls me a maximum pain in the butt, Maximum for short. Who are you talking about?" Dylan exhales, his demeanor much calmer. I swear his entire body visibly relaxed.

"I'm sorry." He apologizes. "That was out of line. You're right; it's none of my business."

"Yeah," I agree, staring at him with one eyebrow raised. I'm waiting for him to spill the beans.

"I better go." He eventually mumbles, but when he turns, I grab hid wrist.

"Not so fast. You want to tell me what that whole…episode was about? What do you have against Fang, anyway?"

Dylan shakes his head. "If he hasn't told you, then it's not my place to. But Max-" His soft blue eyes find mine but I refuse to let them pacify me. "-Still friends?"

I almost laugh out loud, the idea is so preposterous. There's no need to tell him that, though. I'll burn that bridge when I get there. "Still friends." I say, proud that my voice is emotionless. He nods resignedly, and then jumps out the window. He even rolls to break his fall, just like every super hero in every action movie. In all reality, perfect is overrated. It's the quirks and oddities that are lovable. _Just like Fang_, I think. Wait a second. I'm so stupid. Delete that. Max and girly thoughts? The apocalypse must be nigh.

* * *

><p>"Hey." Fang greets, amusement in his tone but without a trace of emotion on his face. I smile.<p>

"What's up?" I ask.

He makes a face."Smith's homework."

I groan when I realize I haven't done it either. I pull out my notebook and sit next to Fang at the library table He scoots over to make room for me. As I begin to answer the mindless questions, I realize what a good guy Fang is. It might sound like a cliché, but he obviously believed the whole wings thing, and yet he acted normally around me. He didn't constantly pressure me to 'believe' but he brought it up just often enough and with just enough hints to keep me constantly pondering it. The corner of my mouth quirked up as I realized how nice he was, although nice was an understatement.

Speaking of nice, I do hope he was _nice _enough to answerto answer my questions.

"Hey, Fang?"

"Hmm?" He replies, chewing on his pen absently. I reach over and grab his pen just to make sure he has to pay attention to me. He looks up at me curiously, confusedly.

"What's up with you and Dylan?"

He shrugs. "He's an idiot." He grins at me, but when I don't smile back, something clicks in his eyes.

"The truth, please." I say, biting my lip. Would all my friends turn out to have some mysterious connection to my forgotten past? Maybe Mattie and Noah were secretly spies in my past, and they still were checking up on me. Yeah, right. Fang waits for a long moment and then nods towards the door.

"Not here." He murmurs, and I swiftly rise and grab all my books with one hand. Now that's skill, people. I follow Fang out through the many shelves of books. The library itself was massive, with its millions of books and tall hickory shelves. There were windows every 5 feet, windows about twice as tall as me and 20 times as wide. Outside were the woods, lush, green, and beautiful. Each window was lined with windows seats and cushions, and there were eccentric but coordinating plush chairs randomly placed all around the library. At the entrance, there was a batch of tables not unlike the ones Fang and I had sat at towards the middle. As we strode out, I held my head up high. But me being me, I knocked into the edge of a table and stumbled. Thank god I didn't face plant, but my face was flaming as I lead Fang into the forest.

"So," I say simply, plopping down relatively close to the entrance of the woods. We were deep in enough that we wouldn't be heard, but close enough to the campus that we wouldn't get in trouble or arouse suspicions.

"So," he replies, looking at me. There's something in his gaze that I just can't place- comfort, and confusion, and maybe even hope.

There are a few beats of silence. "Dylan…?" I prompt.

He sighs loudly before looking away. His hand is tearing a patch of grass below him, but I don't think he notices. "You won't understand," He says, which makes my temper flare. Before I can get a word in, though, he continues, "Unless you think I'm telling the truth about the wings."

I groan inwardly. That was one topic I hadn't decided my stance on. Okay, it was the only topic, and I was trying very hard not to think about it. Details, details. "Humor me." I manage to say after yet another lengthy silence.

Fang nods, still looking into the woods, at the ground, anywhere but me. "We had a lot of enemies. Namely, the bad guys chasing after us, most of who either wanted to bend us to their will or kill us. One of these goons was called Dr. Gunther-Hagen. He created Dylan from a boy who died in a car crash."

I open my mouth but Fang doesn't let me interrupt him.

"Yes, he is a clone. And they grafted wings onto him to. He's supposed to be your perfect match, because if you two get together, you'll have perfect babies." His voice is openly hostile and filled with disgust. I pat his hand in a gesture of surprising tact to calm him down. When he speaks again, his voice is more controlled.

"Anyway, he never officially joined the Flock, but it was really only a matter of time. He hung out with us, and you taught him how to fly, because you didn't want him to have to learn it all himself. Even though that's exactly what we had to do, or maybe because of it, you helped him figure out what it meant to be a bird kid."

I blink slowly in acceptance. "I'm going to take a wild guess here and say that you don't like him."

He snorts. "You could call it that. I use stronger words in my head."

I smile. "Why?"

"He was an outsider. The six of us had something special, a bond that only comes from surviving so many years on the run together. And he just tries to wheedle his way in, well fed, perfect looking, and try to mess up…to mess up…us."

"What about us, Fang?" I ask, my voice soft. "What were we?" The sentence itself can be interpreted in many ways. But I know Fang well enough to know he will understand just what I mean.

He shakes his head, turning to look me in the eye for the first time. "You tell me."

* * *

><p>"So, you have your price." I bargain. "Your soul for a cookie." I wave my chocolate chip cookie in Mattie's face while every one else laughs. Fang joins in, casually touching his nose in a sign that he and I had made up. Every time I said or did something that I used to say or do, he would touch his nose. Considering how often it happened, I'm guessing the others thought he had allergies. But touching the nose was less conspicuous that, oh, I don't know, saying 'The pig has flapped.'<p>

I reach in and take another cookie, tuning everybody out. It had become a bad habit of mine lately to ignore everyone else and think about myself. I wasn't being self absorbed, though. I was thinking mostly about what Fang had told, what Dylan had said, and how much of it all fit together and made sense.

Dylan had said that it wasn't in his place to tell me anything, if Fang himself hadn't told me. Which made perfect sense. If Dylan truly was an outsider, a third wheel to our Flock of six, that's exactly how he would have felt. For whatever reason, he didn't want me knowing about my past. I realize that his 'dad' being Doctor Gunther Looney probably had something to do with it.

What would you have done? Pondered your life and past and future and wondered if the whole thing was a lie? Or would you have ate more chocolate chip cookies and joined the conversation about movies.

Yeah, me too.

"Has anyone seen Easy A?" I chime in. I'm met with several yeses and shakes of the head.

"BEST. MOVIE EVER." Julia proclaims, and I nod. It really is the funniest movie I've seen in a while. As I talk to my not-so-perfect group of friends, I realize that my statement earlier was quite inaccurate.

It's not perfectness that's over rated; it's the idea of perfect.

After all, the peculiarities and strangeness are what makes my friends so very perfect.

And as I reach for another chocolate chip cookie, I can't help but think that my life is finally on the right track. Just a little bit.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- I like Fang. He's easy to write about. And when I reread my chapter I'm like, WHOA, that's profound and I'm slightly confused as to how that showed up, because I'm not profound in the least. But now I have my answer. Fang has been helping me from the skies.**

**Yup, I'm officially crazy. Review?**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

I drew another bird on the corner of my page. Class was so _boring_. I mean, not to toot my own horn or anything, but I already knew all about this book, and discussing it for a second time was horrible. Fang, on the other hand, hadn't even read the assigned chapters of reading, and was happily watching me draw without paying an ounce of attention. I drew a pair of wings, taking my time to get it right. The weathers were curved at the ends, as if tapered. Just as I was about to draw the body of the bird, Fang leans over, pencil in hand, and doodles on my paper.

I strain to see what he's drawing, but his head's in the way. A few seconds later, he pulls away, a satisfied smile on his face. Where I was about to draw a bird, he drew a girl. I think it was me. Not to rain on his artistic parade or anything, but it wasn't very clear. I fixed the eyes and hair to make myself look more presentable and frowned. Something was off. It didn't look right.

Fang takes my paper from me again. He hunches over it, his hair falling over his eyes while his pencil flies over my notes. He hands it back to me relatively quickly, and I immediately see what was 'off' about my drawing. The wings were far too small. If Fang had drawn me to scale, my wings were more than 12 feet wide. He has somehow captured the many layers of feathers- primaries, secondary's, even the alignment of the tips- in just a few strokes of pencil.

I smile, and he looks at me with his mouth quirked up in his version of a grin. I draw another crude bird kid, Fang, beside me, making the wings even bigger than mine. I shaded them in to be black, assuming they would be identical to his clothing. Okay, maybe his face was a little lopsided, but it was better than his drawing. He shakes his head at me and draws rapidly for several minutes. I struggle to at least catch a glimpse of what it is he's drawing, but he knows me too well. He picks up my papers and puts them on the other side of him, the empty desk to his right. Now I can't look without being completely obvious about my not paying attention. I stare at the board impatiently, trying to tune out our latest lecture about Dumas.

Fang finally puts my paper back on my desk, covering the image with his hand. I frown and look at him, and wait for it- his eyes are actually gleaming. With laughter. Slightly worried, I pull my paper out from underneath his hand. When I see the drawing, I can't help myself.

So I giggle, just a little.

And if Fang ever tells you that it was more of an obnoxious guffaw, well, who're you going to believe?

"Ms. Ride, is there something you would like to share with the class?" Mr. Smith asks me, his tone grim and his face creased with annoyance.

Of course this sends me into another fit of giggles. Could the guy seriously not think of a better line? _Is there something you'd like to share with the class?_ Could there be more of a cliché, overused line? Mr. Smith glares at me, now obviously angry. Fang kicks me gently on the shin, telling me to cool it.

I manage to calm myself down, although I'm sure my face is still as red as a fire truck. "No, Sir."

He nods gravely. "See me after class." I nod right back, trying to smother my laughter.

Because Fang had drawn six bird kids, obviously meant to be the Flock he kept telling me about. We weren't anything of great artistic talent; he had saved that for a seventh person. He drew a muscular, tall, blond haired blue eyed boy a distance away from us, his expression crumpled and his wings pathetic. He had changed the Flock's faces to make it look like we were jeering.

Jeering at Dylan, who was animatedly dropping like a stone.

* * *

><p>"Tell me more," I order, sitting cross legged on the rock. Fang and I were skipping yet another gym class. Maybe it was slightly against the rules- but who cares?<p>

Fang looks up, his brows drawn together. "Why?" He asks, not unkindly.

I shrug. "I sort of believe you. I just don't see how I could not see the wings. It's…hard to grasp, you know?"

"That's why I even waited as long as I did to say anything. Could you imagine if a weird, scrawny, black-loving kid walked up to and told you your life wasn't real? You'd think he was a freak. Then again, you probably still think I'm a freak.

I nudge him playfully. "I already thought you were a freak. The wings thing just confirmed it."

He narrows his eyes at me, playing along. A millisecond later, he stands up abruptly.

"What?" I question, squinting up at him so that the sun isn't in my eyes.

"Forget me telling you more. Want to see more proof?"

"I can't see wings, dunderhead."

He shakes his head slowly, his face breaking out into the Fang version of a grin. "No, but you can meet another bird kid."

Well.

That gets my attention like a sack of apples falling on my head.

I scramble up eagerly. "What! Who? Which one? Is she here now? Does she remember? Is it only me who's forgotten?"

Fang laughs, the sound odd enough that I break off my torrent of questions.

"He. Is _he_ here now? It's Iggy. And yes, he is here now. And yes, he remembers you, and I have no clue why he and I remember whereas you don't. Did I get all your questions?"

I nod wordlessly, slightly speechless at what was about to happen.

"So let's go." He says, taking a few steps. When he realizes I'm not following, he turns and stares at me, with one eyebrow raised.

"Max?" He asks cautiously. I nod slowly, acknowledging him, and then hold up a finger in the universal 'hold on' sign.

Part of me was…nervous, to meet Iggy. Up until now, Fang and I were friends, but we still lived a normal life. Sure, he brought up the wings thing, but it was more like a distant possibility than an immediate reality. And now that it was facing me head on?

I was scared.

There.

I said it.

I, Maxima Walker, was scared. But if Fang's stories held any truth, only Maxima Walker was scared. Maxima Walker was desperate to hold on to her life- the life where she had so many friends, a family, and sports.

But Maximum Ride was a completely different story. Maximum Ride never backed down. Maximum Ride placed her Flock before everything- before her family, or sports, or friends. Even before herself. Maximum Ride, Fang had said, was the toughest person he knew. The best fighter, the most maternal, the extremely stubborn, crazy, smart mutant freak.

Following Fang to meet Iggy was accepting that I was Maximum Ride, not Maxima Walker. Maybe it's easy for you to make the choice- but imagine if there were a giant pair of scissors, waiting to snip away at your life, and you had to decide whether to let them cut or not. If you said no, you'd be tormented for the rest of your life with the what ifs. And if you said yes, you may just have cut your only lifeline- you may just fall into the ground, without a parachute. So, it wasn't exactly the easiest choice to make.

But I square my shoulders and walk slowly to catch up with Fang. He begins to walk further into the woods and I follow, a step behind him.

I hadn't accepted Maximum Ride.

But I could pretend to be her. I deserved a trial run, didn't I?

And I would stay strong. Because Maximum Ride was fearless.

And at least temporarily, I was Maximum Ride.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- It's science fair weekend, yaaay! -note sarcasm.- **

**At least I get to skip school to go the mall, right? WRONG. I'd rather go to six hours of school than sit six hours in front of my board when I only actually get to talk to judges for oh, 30 minutes total. GAAAAAH.**

**To answer a couple questions- Yes, I did think of this plot myself. I'm sure there are others like it, but I wasn't basing thing off of anything I've read so far. As for how long this story will be, I have no idea. I used to have an entire plot planned out, but that went downhill about 14 chapters ago. So, as of right now, a lot more chapters are headed your way! I'll warn you when it's closer to the end.**

**I think I've covered it all. Anything else?**

**Oh, oh yeah. REVIEW. Kthanksbye.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

_CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH._ The sound of my footsteps on the forest ground was oddly loud. Fang moved without a noise, not even a rustle. My every step, on the other hand, seemed to crunch up a storm. Frowning, I tried to mimic his style of walking. I tried to balance my weight evenly, instead of walking heel to toe like I normally would. I stare the ground, trying to avoid twigs and piles of dry leaves.

_Crunch, Crunch, Crunch. _Slightly better. You could still hear my footsteps, but it could probably pass for the wind or a small animal rustling in the undergrowth. Fang turns back suddenly. I feel ridiculous, waddling like a penguin to avoid making noise. He smirks slightly, shaking his head.

"Try walking on the balls of your feet," He suggests. The balls of my feet? Wouldn't that make even more noise? That was how I ran. Regardless, I did as he said.

Surprise, surprise. I was walking silently through the forest, right behind Fang. I allowed a small smile of victory to cross my face. A few seconds later, I realized that this style of walking felt completely natural to me. I could do it without concentrating; it was effortless, unlike the penguin waddle I had adopted before.

It was just more proof that Fang was telling the truth.

But I refused to believe it just yet.

"Why exactly is Iggy hiding in the woods?" I ask suddenly, my voice oddly loud in the utter quiet. I lower it. "Why are you here, actually?"

"I enrolled to get a chance to befriend you and tell you the truth. But if you haven't noticed, I don't even have a dorm room. I camp out here with Iggy every night. He and I found each other a while ago, actually. We both had homes too, but I remembered, and so did he. We kind of just stumbled into each other while on vacation a few weeks ago, and then I knew I couldn't deny what I knew any longer." Fang explains.

"Why didn't Iggy enroll, too? What can he do by himself out here all day?" I suddenly feel kind of bad for Iggy. I would die of boredom if I had to stay by myself quietly in the woods all day.

"It would have been too hard for him to go through the whole school thing again. And it'd be easier for me to find you and befriend you if I was alone."

I'm totally lost by his words, of course. "Why would it be hard for Iggy?"

Fang turns to face me slowly, incredulously. I cross my arms. "What?" I demand, taking the defensive automatically.

Fang laughs a short, humorless laugh. "I forget that you don't remember anything. Iggy's blind."

What a way to break the news.

I take a few seconds to reply, but when I do, my voice is far too loud. "WHAT? How are you letting a blind boy survive by himself all alone in the freaking woods?"

Fang snorts. "Iggy is more than capable. I wish you could remember, already. But since you don't, just don't mention Iggy's blindness at all, or treat him any differently."

I nod and then Fang gestures ahead. When I look up, I see the remains of a fire and a pale, blond haired boy sitting cross legged, facing away from us. He's messing with something- it looks like batteries and...an alarm clock? I decide not to ask.

Fang suddenly starts to walk nosier, probably so that Iggy can hear us approaching.

Sure enough, he does. "Fang?" Iggy asks, turning to face us. Even though they are sightless, his electric blue eyes pierce me sharply, almost as much as Fang's had when I first met him.

No, not when I first met him.

When I first met him at school. I think it'd be foolish for me to continue to believe that my entire life was real when it obvious that I had some sort of connection to Fang and Iggy.

"Yeah," Fang replies. "And I brought a friend."

Iggy whirls around, standing, and a huge grin crosses his face. He takes three large steps to come over to us and throws his arms around me. "Max!" He exclaims happily. I shift awkwardly for a second before my arms hesitantly come around him. I pat his back slightly and move away. I don't mind hugs, but Iggy seems like a complete stranger to me.

"Oh, sorry." He apologizes afterwards. "I forgot that you don't remember yet."

I shrug. "It's fine."

"So why are you both here?" Iggy asks, clasping his hands together.

"I just wanted Max to meet you." Fang answers.

"Hello, Max!" Iggy says, thrusting his hand out as if to shake mine. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

I cautiously extend my hand to him, but instead of shaking it, he brings it to his lips and bows deeply. I can't help myself; I giggle. "You too."

Fang rolls his eyes, and I frown at him. "No need to rain on our parade."

He scoffs. "Yeah, okay. Bringing you here was kind of silly and on a whim. We should get back."

"What? We just got here!" I protest.

Simultaneously, Iggy objects. "Come on, man! I haven't seen her in years!"

"Let's go, Max." Fang orders, his voice urgent and strict.

If you know me at all, you know how well I respond to orders. So you really can't blame me for what I did next.

I storm up to Fang and stab him in the chest with one finger. "No." I say simply, rudely, daring him to challenge me.

His jaw is set, but he's smart enough to not push it further. "10 minutes." He says eventually.

I shake my head. "_I'll _leave when _I_ want to. You can go now."

"Seriously, dude, two years isn't enough to forget about her stubbornness." Iggy throws his hands up in the universal are-you-kidding-me gesture. I look between Fang and Iggy, feeling like that was very backhanded support.

After a long pause, Fang consents. "Fine, you can stay."

"Like I ever needed your permission," I say snidely, turning away. I can literally feel him roll his eyes behind me before walking away.

"Who peed in his coffee?" Iggy remarks lightly.

I shrug, equally puzzled by Fang's weird behavior. "I have no clue. And they say girls are the complicated ones."

* * *

><p>"Max, please don't kill me, but you probably should be heading out now." Iggy scrunches up his face as if waiting for a punch. I laugh, but stop abruptly when I look at the sky.<p>

"Oh my gosh, it must be at least 6!" I exclaim.

"Exactly, so you should leave before someone gets suspicious," Iggy urges.

"Oh. I was thinking more along the lines of it's been more than 4 hours since I ate anything."

Iggy raises both his eyebrows. "Wow, you're right! I can't believe we let that happen. Do you want some food?" He begins to dig through a backpack, pulling out cans of corn and tomatoes.

"No thanks, I'll go eat in the dining hall. And I think I'll bring you some good food. I can't believe Fang's making you live off of that while he's off eating the best food in the universe!"

Iggy looks away sheepishly. "He brings me that food, too. I ate it all, though, so now I'm kind of eating my way through our emergency food kit."

I stifle a chuckle. "I'll bring you dessert tonight, okay?"

Iggy nods happily. "Yes!" He punches the air.

"Yeah, yeah. Bye!"

"See you, Max."

I start to walk off, not one for goodbyes. I only turn when I hear Iggy call out behind me.

"Don't forget my dessert!"

* * *

><p>"Where have you been, Max?" Sam asks when I join my friends at the table.<p>

I shrug, already shoveling food into my mouth. "Here and there. I sort of lost track of time on a walk."

"Distracted you from food? I'm impressed." Julia mock claps, and I narrow my eyes at her. Fang studies me carefully, his earlier odd mood apparently gone.

"Did you enjoy your walk?" He asks, obviously referring to Iggy.

"Definitely. Thanks for showing me that place, I would never found it by myself." I reply.

"No problem. The walk was dying to meet you."

Nate looks between me and Fang. "Are we still talking about a walk?" He asks addressing everyone in general. "Because I feel like we're talking about something completely different. Or is it just me?"

"It's not just you," Mattie says slowly. "These two have some sort of fishy communication thing. They just look at each other, and they it's like they have a whole conversation."

I tense slightly, but relax a split second later, hoping nobody caught it. Fang shakes his head almost imperceptibly at me, warning me to chill.

"Oooo," Noah whistles. "Love at first sight?"

I relax completely when everyone laughs.

Mattie shakes her head, entirely serious. "Laugh all you want, but I _will_ figure it out." She glares at me, only half joking. "I'll figure it all out."

I try my best not to, but I make eye contact with Fang and we both burst out laughing. Everybody looks at us like we're wearing piranhas like earrings, but I only laugh harder when I see the confused looks on their faces.

Figure it _ all _out?

Don't hold your breathe, Mattie.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Seriously, you guys ROCK. We're already way past the 200 review mark, and it's only been 15 chapters! :) I opened my email account a few days ago and had 32 new reviews, it was seriously the best feeling ever. So thank you! All of you! You make my day, every day.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

"He's avoiding me, Iggy." I confess. Immediately, I feel better, as if that one thought had bogged me down all day. Maybe it had; I don't know.

Iggy turns his sightless eyes to me and focuses on me with a scary precision. "What do you mean?"

I shrug. "He used to talk to me all the time. Now I barely see him except in class, and he never even looks at me. He's so moody! And he won't…he won't kiss me. But it helped me remember."

"So you remember?" He asks, hope coursing through his words. I wince, chastising myself for my own poor choice of words.

"No," I say slowly. "Not enough to believe."

Iggy looks down, continuing to scrape away at the chunk of wood in his hand. I twitch agonizingly in the silence, but he's taking his sweet time to respond. When he finally does, it is evident that he's carefully worded what he's about to say. "I think he feels like he's taking advantage of you. Heck, you're so different he probably has it in his head he's like cheating on the old you, or something."

"Good or bad different?"

"Just…different. Not as stubborn, not as jumpy, not as accusing. Some things are the same, like your obsession over food. But your patience…and just how chill you are, it's pretty disorienting. Give the guy a break."

I slump forward, my face in my hands. "I don't know what to do! It's obvious you're telling the truth, both of you. I've kind of figured that much out already. But my heart…I guess I'm grasping onto the strands on my life right now. I like everything right now. I don't want things to change."

Iggy pauses his whittling, and the absence of the rough noise makes the silence eerie. "Max," he begins slowly. "You used to be a drill sergeant. You used to be the most snarling, tough, caring person, and now you're just like the girls you used to make fun of when we were in Virginia. I think you're _scared_."

You all should know by now just how saint-like I am.

But certain things just set me off. And being called scared was one of them.

"Oh, excuse me!" I whirl onto Iggy. "I'm not scared! You try being told your entire life was a lie. You'd take a while to make sense of it too! And I can still kick your skinny white butt from here to Tuesday, so don't even!"

I'm expecting him to snarl, or yell back, or maybe even ignore me. But what he does do surprises the heck out of me. He smiles. "There's the Max we know and love. And that's exactly what I did, anyways."

"What?" I'm shocked. "I thought Fang said you ran into him when you both were on vacation?"

He nods slowly. "Yeah, we did." Then, he answers my unasked question.

"I've had the craziest dreams my whole life. Wings, Erasers, Itex, the whole deal. When I had the same dream over and over, my parents took me a therapist. He tried to knock the memory out of my subconscious, but he really just brought forth a ton of memories. I don't even remember what he did; I just remember being super confused. I thought he had just made it worse, that he had just made my dreams into memories, but I still didn't figure out the truth. A few months later, along with the water bill, a check for $25,000 was sent to my parents as their 'annual payment, from Itex.'"

He pauses, and begins scratching at the block of wood again. "Naturally, I was more than a little suspicious, since Itex was the company from my dreams. I ran into Fang during vacation and I knew I couldn't run from it any longer. So my dreams became my reality, and I've been with him ever since."

I gape at Iggy. I'm at loss for words. "Compared to me, you had it pretty bad."

He snorts. "You think?"

"I guess I do think you're telling the truth, I just can't see my own wings. And that means that I don't believe, but I _can't_, it's not that I'm not wanting to."

Iggy makes no response, but only continues hacking away with his razor blade.

"What are you making, anyway?" I question a few minutes later. He remains quiet, choosing to show me instead. He hands me the block of wood. It's a girl in flight, her hair curly and wild and her smile huge. She was little, if he had made her proportionate.

"Angel?"

He nods. "Yeah. I want to give it to her when we find her. _If_ we find her." He adds bitterly.

I put my hand over Iggy's, stopping his whittling momentarily. "We will, Ig," I assure. "You found me, and we'll find her."

He simply nods his acknowledgement, and we stand there for several more moments.

"How close were Fang I?" Again, it's me who breaks the silence.

"Super close. It was almost freaky; you two were so in sync and so different at the same time."

I purse my lips thoughtfully for just a moment. Then I reach to my neck and pull the tiny silver chain out. "Did he give this to me?"

"What is it?" Iggy asks, and I almost slap myself for forgetting his blindness.

"A ring that I've worn since ever since I can remember. I put it a chain through it because I always lose things, and I wanted to keep this forever." I unclasp my necklace and put the ring in Iggy's outstretched palm. He fingers it carefully before gasping in surprise.

"You kept this? Yes, Fang gave it to you! It was our fifteenth birthday." He says happily. I nod, and then remember he can't see it.

"It's so odd," I begin, smiling wryly, "that I can remember with perfect clarity the day I realized I could put it through a chain since it was too big for my finger. I was six or seven, maybe."

"I'm shocked that the white coats let you keep it when they wiped your memory."

"I don't think they would have." I run my fingers over the ring leisurely, glad to finally have found a reason for my attachment to the ring. I wasn't normally a fan of jewelry; nor was I materialistic. But I had always been freakily possessive of the ring. I always wore it, only took it off to shower.

There's another long period where neither of us talks. I don't feel the need to say anything, and neither does Iggy. It's even more proof that their story is the truth- I was comfortable with him in utter silence, even though I had technically just met him a few days ago.

"You should go." Iggy declares a long time later. I nod, taking note of the sun behind him. It's definitely lower in the sky, and it's probably around 3 in the afternoon.

"Bye, Igs!" I call out.

"See you!"

As I walk back I can't help but think about what's going on. I hate how my thoughts center around it, all the time, but I guess it's to be expected when your perspective on life changes. Iggy told me his parents had no idea, but he thought that Jeb and Anne do. Apparently, we had met them both before. He had taken over Fang's job of filling me in on the past, because try as I might, I couldn't remember. He told me about the School and how Jeb had rescued us, only to disappear. He told me about Angel getting captured and our many daring captures and escapes, as well us our stay in Virginia with Anne. He told me about blowing up Itex.

But if Itex had been destroyed, who could be messing with me now? It was the obvious question, but Iggy didn't have an answer for it. I _would_ ask Fang, but he had been dutifully ignoring me for the past two days.

Fang.

I had to do some thinking about him, too.

I didn't like him. Not in _that_ sense, anyway, but it obvious when we kissed that I used to like him. And maybe it's just buried deep, because I still catch myself thinking about his smile or getting lost in his eyes. And I'm Max. I never fall smitten for a guy. But Fang was…mysterious. Partly because of the whole wings element he brought with him, and partly because that was just how he was. Silent. Thoughtful.

Avoiding me, apparently.

For no reason, too, unless I had done something that I'm unaware of. I try to put myself in his shoes. What if Mattie disappeared one day and when I found her again, she acted like she just met me and didn't remember anything from before? On the good days, I'd talk to her and help her remember and be glad for her company, of course. But on the sucky ones? I'd be beyond pissed. I'd snap at her. I'd ignore her. Of course, what Fang and I have is entirely different from what Mattie and I have. But the concept is the same.

So I can't hate Fang. But I didn't have to like him, either.

I just needed him to kiss me.

Oh, gosh, that makes me sound so needy, so creepy, and so obsessive. But I wanted him to kiss me because it brought back images, memories, things I couldn't ignore. It brought with it _proof, _proof that I couldn't dismiss. Tangible proof.

"Hey, Max! Where did you disappear to?" Sam calls out cheerfully. I look up and suddenly realize that I've walked on the soccer field, where there's a game of tackle football going.

"Just wandering," I say, gesturing vaguely to the woods.

"Go on a walk again?" Dylan asks, his eyebrow raised and his voice knowing. Of course Dylan knows. Dylan probably knows all about Iggy and completely understood Fang and I's metaphor.

I meet his gaze coolly. "Something like that."

"Max!" Nate shouts, running over and tackling me. I fall to the ground with a loud thump, but Nate rolls over fast enough so that he's not crushing me down as I fall.

"Good to see you too!" I croak overdramatically.

He laughs and pulls my flag. I realize for the first time that I have a flag on.

"I though we were playing tackle football?" I ask.

"Hence the tackle." He says cheekily, but rushes to explain when he sees my eyes start to narrow. "Okay, okay, technically we're playing flag football but Coach doesn't care, since we're all guys. Except for you, but you disappeared."

"Tackle's more fun, anyway." I proclaim, rising and dusting the grass off my butt.

Suddenly I'm jumped from behind. Yet again, I fall, this time on my face, and Noah isn't fast enough to cushion my fall like Nate did.

"Ooph." I spit the grass out of my mouth, turning over to glare at Noah.

He grins. "I got you!"

"I don't even have the ball, dummy."

He ponders this for a second, and then pulls my flag completely away from me. "Well, you're on my team now, and you have to help me get it. Come on!"

I race after him into the mass of people.

There's nothing like good ol' ball to take your mind off of things.

* * *

><p>"Stop avoiding me." I demand. Fang looks up, surprised. I don't know what he was doing in my dorm room, but this was a more pressing matter.<p>

"Max." He says, his voice neutral.

"Stop that." I snap, glad my voice isn't shaking.

He cocks at eyebrows at me. "What, exactly?

"This." I gesture wildly to everything in general. "Avoiding me. Pretending we're normal. Being so freaking composed all the time!"

"What would you rather I do?" He spits, his voice betraying emotion for the first time. Frustration, maybe even anger, but emotion all the same. I step closer to him until I'm only centimeters away. He looks down at me with a rawness I haven't seen in him before. We're both stretched to out breaking point, and my voice cracks when I speak again.

"Just shut up and kiss me."

He obliges.

_His hard, rough hand tenderly cups my chip, and suddenly his mouth is on mine and every synapse in my brain shorts out._

_I close my eyes and put my arms around him despite my fear. Somehow we slide sideways into the cool sand. I am holding him fiercely, and he is kissing me fiercely, and it was just…just so, so, intensely _good_. I slide into mindlessness, where all I could feel was Fang, and all that I heard was his breathing, and all I could think was 'Oh, god, I want to do this _all the time._'_

Gasping, I pull away from Fang and stumble back in shock. It wasn't the first time I had gotten a memory, but it was the first time it had been so incredibly clear, down to the boulder beside us and the stuffy night air and the cool sand. Down to his heartbeat against mine, both of them much faster than normal.

"What?" He asks softly. "What did you remember?"

"Me and you..you know. And it was night time, in the sand, and we were alone, and I think it was one of the first ones, because it felt so…new, but so right."

He smiles faintly. "Arizona, the first time you finally kissed me back."

"Was that when we made it official?" I ask, curious.

He nods, but doesn't elaborate. I keep going. "Iggy you gave me this. But I remember having it since I was born, practically. In my earliest memory, I have this ring on." I pull the chain out to show him.

His eyes flicker happily for the briefest instant, but then resume the dull, stoic look he had perfected.

"My gosh, Fang, what do you want me do?" I snap. He was being so freaking moody, like this was all my fault.

He looks at me with anger, with determination. "_Believe_, Max!" He seethes. "You've got to!"

"What is this, the Polar Express?" I sigh and do my best to 'believe.' Nothing changes. "Fang, I believe you. We have wings." I say slowly, and my left eye doesn't twitch, so I must not be lying. I allow a feeling of hope to course through my body for the first time. If this were a movie, soulful music would play, and light would shine from the heavens. But this isn't a movie, so nothing changes. But when Fang slips off his jacket and turns around, I see black feathers.

Beautiful, dark wings protrude from his back.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- EEEEEE! ****:D**

**Review, anyone?**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

Okay, I admit it. I might have yelped or squealed or whatever, just a little. Fang chuckles, but I can sense the tension in his laugh. I reach out hesitantly and run my hands through his wings. His wings shudder, as does he.

Yep, they're there.

Not an illusion.

Cue girly shriek. Fang turns around and catches my hand in his. "Do you remember?" He asks me, holding his breathe. I slowly shake my head no.

"I believe. And I can see your wings, but I don't remember."

He nods grimly, as if he surmised as much. "You have them too."

I furrow my brow. Yeah, since he was telling the truth, I should have wings as well, but the thought is so alien to me. I pull my shirt off and Fang turns away, the perfect gentleman. I reach behind me and gasp obnoxiously. Yup, I've got 'em too.

Fang faces me again, his eyes still closed. "You wanna go flying?"

I nod, and then remember he can't see it. "Yeah," I say, my voice shaky, "but…" I trail off meaningfully, gesturing at my shirt and once again realizing he wouldn't see it. He seems to catch my drift, though, because he holds his hand out for my shirt.

"Here," He says, and takes my shirt. He artfully tears two long slits for my wings in the back of the shirt. I'm not surprised I don't even feel a pang at him destroying one of my best shirts. He tosses it back at me, and I throw it on.

"Let's hit it!" I say. Fang sort of smiles in that abrupt, weird way of his. He nods towards the window, and I stare at him incredulously.

"What?" He asks, his voice deadpan.

"You want me to _jump_ out of the window?" I scoff.

He shrugs easily. "A roof is more ideal, but this is kind of more practical."

"You want me to JUMP out of the window?" I repeat, my voice louder and probably an octave higher.

He raises an eyebrow at me as if hearing me for the first time. "Yeah. Trust me, it'll be instinctive. It's how you taught all of the kids."

Right. Of course. The kids. _I_ had taught them this. Duh. I freak out mentally, but desperately hope that it doesn't show.

I take a deep breathe and open the window. "After you, then." I sweep my arm out as if ushering him.

"Watch and pay attention, but I promise you'll be fine, okay?" Fang's eyes search my face, making sure I won't back out once he's flown out. I nod again, not really trusting myself to speak. With a decisive dip, Fang jumps out the window. I rush to it and stare at him. He free falls for one, two seconds before snapping his wings out. I almost scream at the sight of them, more than 14 feet of black beauty. He swoops like a graceful panther or something, and then flies back up to a few feet away from the window.

"Come on," He orders, and I squat on the windowsill. He stares at me expectantly. I take a deep breathe and jump off the window.

Ever wonder why I spend so much of my life vehemently arguing that I'm not crazy?

On the outside, I probably looked the same as always. On the inside, I was dying.

Whose bright idea was this, anyway? The wind was sharp on my face, and if I didn't do something soon, I would be nothing but a blob on the concrete.

What feels like ages but in reality it probably just seconds later, I snap my wings out. Well, maybe a more apt way of putting it is that I _tried_ to snap my wings out. What really happened is that they flapped out about halfway, dragging me down instead of propelling me up.

"Max!" Fang shouts from far above me. I look up desperately, not really sure what to do. I can make out his expression even from so far away, and it's one of utter confusion. For one fleeting, terrifying moment, I think that maybe he doesn't know what to do either, and I'm just spiraling to my death.

_Think!_ I order myself. What did birds look like when they flew? What did Fang look like just moments ago that I wasn't doing? The answer came to me almost instantly as I thought of the question. _Extend._ Ignoring the throbbing pain in my wings, I forced my wings to unfurl away, and I stopped dropping immediately. I kind of just hung in the air, catching my breath and trying to slow down my racing heart. Experimentally, I flap once, and I soar through the air.

"Whooooooooooooooooooooo!" I call out, and Fang laughs from behind me. Yes, he laughs. Loud enough to be heard. It stunned me, too. My voice is lost in the spiraling darkness. Thank goodness it was dark already- hopefully nobody had seen a plunging girl with wings in the air.

I coast on a drift momentarily, enjoying the feeling of wind on my face. I close my eyes and let myself drop a few more feet before flapping to propel myself back up.

Fang flies closer to me but I dive out of reach playfully.

"Come and get me!" I taunt, and he grins evilly before swooping down after me.

Ladies and gentlemen, let the festivities commence.

* * *

><p>"That was amazing," I announce to Fang while grinning from ear to ear.<p>

He nods happily. "Yeah," he says, ever the man of few words.

I pat down my hair absently. I know it's probably super messed up from an hour of flying, but I couldn't care less about how I looked. One minute passes, and neither of us talks. I mean, what could I say? I could keep gushing about how fantastic flying was, but it would be superficial. For the first time, the silence is awkward, even though it's just Fang.

I guess he's thinking, about why I can't remember even though I know he's telling the truth and I can even fly. But right now, there's a burning question in my mind. And I can't really think about anything else until it gets answered.

Several minutes later, I decide I've waited long enough. "Fang," I call out to get his attention. Fang's head snaps up and he looks straight at me.

"What are we going to do now?"

Fang winces and looks away, like he hadn't wanted to bring this up. Of course, this only peaks my curiosity about it. "Fang, tell me." I order.

He exhales deeply. "Iggy and I are going to go find Nudge and Angel and the Gasman," He says quickly, all in one breath. "As for you…what do you want to do?"

Inwardly, I groan. More big-decision making time. It seems like there's been a lot of that lately. When I hesitate, Fang starts to talk again, even more quickly than previously. "I guess you don't have to come or anything. I know it's probably hard for you to change your life, even if you do have wings. It'll be hard for you to hide them, now, though. It might be uncomfortable when you wear clothes without slit holes but you kind of just got to get used to it. Everyone else can totally see your wings, so you've got to be-"

"FANG." I yell. He stops talking immediately. I don't think I've ever heard him say that much at once. If I didn't know better, I'd say that Fang was _nervous. _And that Fang was _blabbering._

I know what I'm going to say even before I say it. Really, there was never a different option.

"I'm coming with you." I tell him resolutely. They're my family, even if I can't particularly remember them. They're my family, and I'm going to find them.

* * *

><p><strong> AN- I was blown away by the reviews for last chapter! Thank you! This story has less than half the chapters than my first one, and yet the review count is already well over 250. **

**:D **


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

When we're flying, I'll bet you can guess who breaks the silence.

"So, what's the plan?" Iggy and Fang turn to me; Fang's face is astonished, and Iggy's mouth literally drops open. "What?" I ask defensively.

"I guess we're used to you being bossy and leader-y all the time." Iggy mutters. I frown. I'm not sure how to respond to that.

I eventually choose the awkward way. "Oh. I'm just…kind of new to this."

"Yeah…" Iggy replies, only further making the situation awkward.

"It's okay, Max." Fang says, saving the day. "We're going to try to find Nudge first. We know that she goes to some prep school in Boston, but we're just going to wing it from there." He pauses, then adds as an after thought, "No pun intended."

I smile briefly.

And then we fly for a few more hours, pretty much in silence. Fun, right?

Actually, I'm not being sarcastic. Maybe I wasn't actually new to flying, but it was just so…wonderful. It would take me a long time before I got used, and longer still till it bored me. I doubt the day will ever come that I wouldn't want to fly, or that it would seem tedious to me. There was no better way to get rid of the feeling of being grounded. No better way to release from reality.

Nobody ever wants to face that head-on.

* * *

><p>"Max! Let's land." Iggy jolts me out my reverie. I startle, and then nod at him.<p>

"Yeah, okay." I don't mention that I haven't exactly practiced landing yet. And that I'll probably tumble into an ungraceful heap like last time. And while Fang somehow managed to not make fun of me for too long, I doubt Iggy would be the same way.

I watch Iggy and Fang swoop carefully, and try to angle my edge most wings the same way. Hey, it works! I slowly glide down, much slower than the two of them, but steadily all the same.

"I could go faster with my eyes closed, Max!" Iggy shouts up at me.

"You're eyes are always closed, Iggy! You're blind!" I yell back. I had quickly learned that Iggy hated sympathy or difference in treatment because he was blind. Even more so, he was totally okay will jokes about it, which I was proud of him for. It was no little thing to be blind, and he overcame it with outward ease.

My feet finally touch the ground, and I exhale with relief, although I make sure the two of them cannot hear it.

"Where are we?" I ask.

"Should be the border of Tennessee," Fang replies. "You want to get food?"

The minute he asks, my stomach rumbles, and I grin sheepishly. "I thought you'd never ask."

We walk about a mile into the town and stop at a shabby little diner. If I though I ate a lot, Fang and Iggy were eating champions. The two of them finished eating about three times the amount I would with ease.

I gape at Iggy as he finishes his fourth burger and downs and entire cup full of soda. He grins at me and burps loudly. I wrinkle my nose. "That's attractive."

Fang laughs, while Iggy teases, "Yeah, that's why all the ladies flock to me."

Fang groans. "Haven't there been enough bad puns already?"

I exchange a look with Iggy and then sit up straight in my seat. "You can never have too much of cheesy humor! Every wingbeat deserves a joke."

Iggy and I slap high fives while Fang shake his head at us. "What did I sign myself up for?" He asks, to nobody in particular.

"Oodles of fun and tweet-ment for your bad outlook on life." Iggy declares with a straight face. I, on the other hand, am bent over laughing.

Life like this isn't that bad, I think. As long as there's no fowl play.

No pun intended, of course.

* * *

><p>We arrive in Boston just as it gets dark, around seven.<p>

"To the library, then?" I question. We had already decided that we would just look up different girls prep schools and go from there.

Fang shakes his head, but doesn't elaborate. Iggy fills me in. "Fnick here has a laptop, so we just need an Internet café."

I nod, already dreaming of the frappuccinos I want to order. Suddenly, I think of another questions. "How are you paying for all for this?"

"You have a credit card," Fang says without looking up from his map. My jaw drops open.

"And how exactly do I pay the bills?"

"You don't. I have no idea who pays the bills. Itex, I guess, or Jeb."

I wince at the mention of Jeb's name. Fang and Iggy had filled me in more on the way here, and apparently Jeb was my real dad, but also head of the scientists who had tried to capture us for so long. It was hard enough the first time to wrap my head around the fact that Jeb and Anne weren't my parents- only to find out that Jeb _was_ my dad.

The door of the café dings as we walk in.

"Welcome to Java Cup!" The cashier calls out. I smile as I join the end of the line. We were lucky it wasn't snowing today, because all we had on were light jackets. The rest of the people were bundled up in typical Northern winter clothes, even though it was only September. Fang grabs us seats while Iggy and I wait in line to order. When it's my turn to place my order, I ask for extra large frappuccinos for all of us, heavy on the whipped cream and fudge. Iggy doesn't offer to help carry them, so I carefully maneuver through the tables holding three very hot drinks. I set them down and Fang and Iggy grabbed them and dug in happily, without a word of thanks.

Maybe the old Maximum wouldn't give a hoot (ha-ha, more puns for you), but I cared. Chivalry was lost among these boys. I guess there were more important matters at hand.

As Fang looks up prep schools in the vicinity, Google narrows them possibilities down to 29 for us.

Yippee. –note sarcasm.-

"Let's just knock on the front doors of all these schools, shall we?" I say dryly, resigning myself to finding a new way.

"Yeah," Fang mutters absently, his fingers flying (heheh) over the keyboard. "Or I could just…do this." With one final click, he finishes hacking into the schools' databases to give us a roster of all students attending.

I stare at him in astonishment. "It would have taken Nudge about half that time, which is why we're finding her first." Fang says modestly.

I ignore my shock and begin to pore through the thousands of names there, looking for a 'Tiffany' or a 'Krystal' or a 'Nudge' or a 'Monique.' Eventually, we further narrow it down to three schools. There's a Tiffany Frayne in Woodsaw Junior Prep School, a Monique Carter attending Boston Science Academy, and a Tiffany-Krystal going to Sheila's Fashion and Arts Institute.

The fact that I'm just a day away from meeting another Flock member who may or may not remember anything is both exciting and nerve-wracking.

But the fact that I'm more excited than nervous proves one thing- I'm already less and less of Maxima Walker. Each moment, I'm a step closer to becoming Maximum Ride.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- I hate it. That was awful. And cliche. And gross. And entirely filler-y. **

**So, I'm sorry about that! The next one will DEFINITELY be better. Until then, review?**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV: **

I smooth down my skirt as I knock on the door to the Headmistress' office. This was our last chance to find Nudge- at Sheila's Fashion and Arts Institute. If Nudge wasn't here, then Iggy and Fang had gotten their information wrong. I make a mental note to ask them how they even got the whole Boston clue. Meanwhile, a skinny, tall lady clad in too heavy makeup and too high heels opens the door and struts out.

"Yes?" She asks, peering down at me through her no doubt designer frames. Her voice has a distinct British accent to it, and her lips were permanently pursed to 'accentuate her cheekbones' or whatever.

"Hello, I'm Max, and I'm from the USSID," I introduce, sticking my hand out for her to shake. She looks me up and down disdainfully before replying, without shaking my hand,

"Pleasure. If you don't mind me asking, what is USSID?"

"United States School Inspection Department. We're sort of under the radar, and relatively new, and we pretty much go around inspecting schools to check their performance, both educationally and socially."

"Do you have identification?" She inspects her nails and picks at a cuticle, not even bothering to look at me while she speaks. I'm stunned that she is being so extraordinarily rude, as if she is so much better than me because I don't wear Jimmy Choo heels.

"Uh, yes, I do," I reply, pulling my fake ID out of my pocket, thankful that Fang had thought to make one for me. The picture was from my old school record, and I had dressed up for this meeting, so I definitely didn't look the same. We had gone shopping earlier, where they had shoved at me a business suit with a skirt, blouse and coat. I needed to look at least 20, and yes, I did have to stuff my bra, but no, I didn't tell the boys that. Could you imagine who much crap they'd give me for it?

"Welcome, Ms. Walker." The lady gestures into her office. "Come right in."

When I walk in to the room, I'm bracing myself for hot pink walls or other such girly atrocities, but I'm pleasantly surprised. The walls are a navy blue with one lighter stripe around the middle, like the middle of a timeline. Pictures of models and sketches of dresses are plastered throughout the room, and there are two mannequins in the corner. The desk itself is painted silver, paired with vintage chairs that aren't part of the same set but match well with the room nonetheless.

Wow, I can't believe I just went into such detail about a room. Moving on.

"My name is Alyssa Hutchinson, grand daughter of Sheila Hutchinson, who founded this fashion and arts academy. I realize you are here to inspect, so what would you like to see?"

"What sort of classes do you offer?" I ask nervously, totally out of my comfort zone.

"Our main classes include Fashion Designing, Etiquette, History of Fashion, Corsetry, Basic Sewing and Cutting, Sketching, Eveningwear, and Accessory. Would you like to tour all of them?"

I close my mouth, knowing that it looks highly unattractive even though the course list astonishes me. Who knew there was so much to fashion? "Uh, yeah. And then maybe I could talk to a few students?"

Alyssa balks. "Well, Miss, a proper lady never says 'yeah'." Her mouth twists around the word like mine does around French. "You must always say yes and wear appropriate clothing. Therefore, you may tour the classrooms but I must ask you to change into something more presentable and at least try to have decorum. You must not become a bad influence on the girls."

"Change into something presentable! Lady, are you kidding me? Fang's paying me in doughnuts for me to even get into this skirt! I'm not changing; deal with it! You can't expect me to be all prissy anyway. Your students will have no idea what people are like in the real world and they'll all turn into brats too."

"Then you may not inspect." She says guardedly, but I can see through her mask to know that she is bitterly pleased. "And who is Fang?"

"Er, a colleague. Actually, I had two with me, but they weren't allowed past the gate."

"Yes, this is a sanctorum for girls, and we are at peace here, without men." She clasps her hands together and stares at me condescendingly.

"The point is, either you let me inspect your school or I write a bad report for you, and the district will cut your funding." Now I'm totally bluffing. If she says I have to leave, I have to leave, and there's nothing else I can do about it.

"We're a private school, Ms. Walker." Alyssa snorts but still manages to make it lady-like. Bah, I can't stand her.

I shrug and pretend like I know what I'm talking about. "But all the ranking systems take out evaluations into account. There's no way you'll be the top fine arts and fashion school if I write you a bad report. Which I'll probably write anyway, considering the amount of rudeness I've been treated with since I've come here." I grab a pen out of my bag and pretend to write on the fake official-looking sheet Fang made for me. I talk as I write. "Very…rude…could…not…inspect..school…low…respect…low….quality…bad…use…of…funds…poor…character…bad…teachers…" I click my pen obnoxiously and put it back in my purse.

"Well, that'll be all, Ms. Hooligan. Nice to meet you." With one final mocking nod, I saunter out the door dramatically, loving my drama queen act.

Within three seconds, the lady's back, running after me. I'm slightly jealous at her ability to run even in 3 inch heels. "Wait!" She gasps. "You can tour whatever rooms you'd like, and talk to anyone you want! Don't submit that report! My grandmother will kill me if this school isn't the top ranked again!"

Smirking, I turn around and pretend to think about it. Alyssa looks at me desperately. Finally I sigh dramatically, more for show than anything else, and nod.

"Alright." I say. "Lead the way."

And then I yawn obnoxiously as she flusters while showing me around the school, because when else in my life can I be this mean and get away with it?

Who's better than whom now?

* * *

><p>"And like, drawing is my favorite class, because like, I like art the best, not like, fashion, but don't tell anyone here that, cause like, they'd kick me out or like, something." The girls drones on and on and I regret ever asking her about the school. I had finished touring about 7 classrooms when I realized that to find Nudge this way, I'd have to visit every classroom in the whole school. According to Ms. Hooligan, there were at least 85 classes being taught at every given moment, so that would have taken far too long.<p>

Right now I was interviewing this girl who must have been about a year or two younger than me, named Madison or Monica or something.

"Listen," I interrupt. The girl looks at me with wide eyes, apparently shocked that I cut her off. I guess interrupting was another 'un-lady-like' thing to do.

"Do you know anybody named Tiffany?" I ask.

"Tiffany Krystal? Of course I do! She's like, super amazing, but she also like, super cool, so she would never like, talk to me, you know?"

"Yeah, okay. What class is she in now?"

"She's in Advanced Accessory II right now, so that'd be in room 342."

"Alright, thanks." I say quickly and walk off, eager to find Nudge. Alyssa is waiting for me outside the empty room that I've been interviewing students in.

"Is everything to your liking?" She asks me timidly.

"Yeah, yeah. I want to see the more advanced classes. Do you have an advanced accessory class?"

"Of course! Right this way, please. It'll be in room 342." She replies courteously, unlike moments before. I want to punch my fist in the air, but I resort to patting myself on the back instead.

When we finally arrive, Alyssa knocks exactly twice on the door before opening it. About twenty pairs of eyes look up at me, as well as the teacher's.

"Madame!" The teacher exclaims. "To what do we owe the honor?"

"Ms. Walker here is from the USSID, inspecting the school. She works with the ranking systems to help them determine our placement in the school rankings. She wanted to see you at work." Alyssa explains. I look around, feigning boredom. When my eyes meet the warm brown ones of an African American girl, she gasps. Her eyebrows narrow suspiciously, as if I'm going to eat her or something.

"Actually, can I talk to your students? How about…you?" I look straight at the mocha-skinned girl.

She rises and follows me out the door.

"Hi, Tiffany?" I ask.

"I know you." She breathes, and I want to pump my fist in the air again, or at least high five someone.

"Do you remember me?" I cross my finger behind my back.

She goes on as if I haven't spoken. "You're the girl from my dreams."

I exhale softly, realizing that Nudge has dreams too, just like Fang, and Iggy.

"I think we're friends. Then again," she continues, "you're also the girl they warned me against."

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Again, I was stunned by the number of reviews in my inbox! We're over 300 now, something I never expected when I began writing this story. Thank you, all of you! It truly does mean a lot to me that so many of you read and review this :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**To those of you who caught the several errors I've been making and hope you wouldn't notice: Max's last name should be Walker, not Batchelder or Ride. Sorry about that! I guess that's why I should reread before I post, haha. Anyway, please let me know if you find any other mistakes, and I'll do my best to clear that up for you.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

"Who warned you against me? You have dreams too? Do you know about wings?" I ask in a rush, thoroughly confused.

Nudge stares at me like I have caterpillars crawling around on my head. "I mean, not you personally." She opens her mouth as if to keep talking, but abruptly closes it and resumes staring.

I feel like banging my head against a wall. Iggy and Fang had told me that Nudge was a motor mouth, and never shut up, but right when I needed her to talk, she refused to elaborate. It takes me a few seconds to form the right question.

"Tiffany, can you tell me what exactly you were warned against, who warned you, and what your dreams are like?"

"No!" She exclaims, shaking her head rapidly. "No, that's exactly what they told me not to tell you!"

"Who, Tiffany?" I coax. "Who told you?"

The girl continues to back away from me, but doesn't ever leave or call for help, luckily. "I can't tell you." She whispers.

"Nudge." I snap, done with the nice, polite, inspector act. "Just freaking tell me already. Cut the crap, and give me a clue, so I can help you."

Nudge's mouth literally drops open. She stares at me for several seconds, wide eyed, before speaking again. When she does, it's as if she heard nothing but the first word I uttered. "Nudge," she murmurs. "I'm only called Nudge in my dreams. Who _are_ you?"

"Can't answer yours if you don't answer mine." I say, exhaling and trying not to lose my patience.

"Not here," Nudge warns, shaking her head once more. "Meet me after school?"

I study her for a long moment before nodding. "Yeah, okay. I'll pick you up and we can get a cup of coffee."

"Deal." Nudge proclaims, and then we shake on it. Just to make it that much more official.

* * *

><p>I stand outside the school, wishing for the hundredth time that I had a car. Fang had offered to steal me one, but I refused. He hadn't insisted, but he wasn't the one standing in the sweltering heat outside a fashion school. What feels like hours but is probably about ten minutes later, kids start to daintily exit the school. I roll my eyes at their impractical dresses and heels, glad I had changed back into shorts and a t-shirt.<p>

"Hey," Nudge greets me cautiously. I'm glad to see her wearing flats, not boots or heels, because we're walking to the café a few blocks away.

"Hey yourself." I say, leading the way. She follows me nervously.

"So," she begins, breaking the silence, "where are we going? Why are we walking? It is SO HOT outside."

"That café a few blocks away, and we're walking because I don't have a car, and yes, it's far too hot for the season." I reply.

She nods, accepting it, but brings another topic up almost instantly. "I must be crazy. I'm following a random girl who isn't even an inspector down to an unnamed coffee place without having told anybody where I'm going. And I don't even have like, pepper spray or something."

I roll my eyes at her dramatic-ness. "Chill out. We're just going to go meet up with Fang and Iggy, since they're probably better at explaining everything than me."

"Fang, and Iggy? They're real too? She questions. I nod. She continues, "So you're Max, then….are the other parts of my dream true, too?"

"If you're talking about wings and being able to fly and the other two kids, Angel and Gazzy, then yes, they are real." Who says I'm not good at explaining? I had told Fang I could handle it, but he insisted we meet up with them because I'm, and I quote, too blunt. As if.

"No freaking way!" Nudge breathes. "I would know if I had wings. And you don't have them either." She inspects my back like they might have popped up since the last time she looked at me.

"You can't see them until you believe, apparently." I say. "The same thing happened to me a few weeks ago. Fang shows up in my life, tells me I have wings, kisses me to prove that he's not imaginary, and POOF! I have wings." I shake my head. "It's all so ridiculous."

"You kissed?" Nudge squeals. "ZOMG, are you two together? You weren't together in my dreams!"

I frown. "Is that all you got out of my explanation? And no, we're not together. I'm not sure what we are."

"Talk to him! The most important aspect of every relationship is communication." She advises.

"Yeah, okay, my relationship with Fang is not the point here. The point is, your dreams are true, and you're a walking talking flying bird mutant."

Nudge shrugs. "Okay."

"Awesome. Do you see my wings now?" I lift my shirt up slightly while trying not to flash everyone in the vicinity.

She shakes her head no. "I don't think it's that simple."

I rub my temples as we round the final corner to Java Cup. "I know. I just wish it was."

* * *

><p>"Euuugh." I groan, after three hours with Nudge puts us no where closer to making her believe. "Fang, how did you put up with me for weeks? That too, just sitting around and waiting and going to class? I'm about to die of frustration!" I slam my head against the table for emphasis, which only spills my latte.<p>

Fang looks at me with his lips quirked, a trace of amusement in his eyes. "I wasn't _just_ sitting around waiting, exactly."

I blush, understanding what he means while Iggy looks around in confusion. "I missed something." He declares.

"S'okay." I say, just as Fang brushes it aside. "Not important."

Nudge looks between Fang and I like we're a tennis match. "I might not actually remember you too, but you're like an old married couple."

Fang simply remains unresponsive while I groan obnoxiously again. "Enough. About. My. Love Life!"

"Okay, okay!" Nudge replies. "So I'm Nudge, the flying bird kid, and I have wings. And you have wings too." She repeats for the twentieth time, convinced that it will convince her brain to remember.

"This isn't going to work." I tell Fang. "The only reason I trusted you was because…you know." I blush and he smirks, following the same old pattern. "But Nudge doesn't have that."

"No," Fang says slowly. "We have to give her time. She just found out today. You took a whole week to decide I wasn't a psychopath."

I nod, accepting his words even though I don't like them. "Yeah, okay." I say tiredly.

"Nudge, do you want me to take you home?" Fang asks.

"Um, yes, please." She replies. "I should probably be getting back now."

"I'll take her. Can I have your credit card, Max? I'll draw some money and then call a cab." Iggy offers.

"Sure," I say, digging in my pocket for the card and handing it to him. As soon as the two of them leave, Fang's arm comes up around me and I lean against him.

Neither of us speaks for a while, but Fang eventually breaks the silence. "I know it's frustrating, but we just have to keep at it." His hand flies up to my hair and starts stroking it.

"Mm." I reply absently. I turn a few seconds later to face him. Something Nudge said had been bothering me all day.

"What are we, Fang?" I ask simply. He flashes me a rare smile.

"Whatever you want to be, Max."

"I like you." I declare, turning back once more and feeling him smile into my hair.

"Well, it's settled then." He says. "We're together."

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Yesterday was the first Friday EVER that I didn't update this story. Isn't that weird? I hadn't really noticed, but I post like a robot, every Friday, without fail. Anyways, that didn't happen because I was out of town. But how about a review for writing a chapter anyways?**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

"And Alicia actually took my stuffed bear from me! Like, for real? It was MY birthday party, and SHE just grabbed it right out of the gift box it was in! I remember being so pissed and crying and honestly, she ruined my entire day. It was kind of a big day, too! I mean, I just turned seven! That's important, right?"

I nod, sipping my latte. Nudge stares at me with her hands still spread in a 'what the heck' position, so I decide to elaborate. "Gee," I say, "that sucks."

Nudge nods vigorously. "So, I was like, seven when that happened. I remember it so well! Are you sure you're not crazy? I'm having a pretty tough time believing that that isn't real, you know. Maybe I'm crazy, because you've been acting pretty normal. Then again, you did tell me you have wings, and then you pretended to fly, but you stayed standing." Nudge finally pauses for breathe, and I seize the moment to interject.

"No, I told you, I didn't-"

It's only a matter of seconds before she cuts me off again. "Yeah, I know, you didn't see Fang's wings until you believed, or whatever. But still, this is freaking ridiculous. I mean, it's obviously sort of true. You know, you're really lucky Fang and you are together. If it wasn't for that whole kissing brought back memories thing, you would have never believed him. So just try to imagine it for me, okay? I guess I have dreams. That's sort of the same thing. But you're way more stubborn than I am, that's obvious."

"Nudge!" I shout. The bad thing is, I don't even feel bad for interrupting. I would have never gotten a word in, otherwise.

"What?" Nudge asks sassily, more than a little miffed.

"Just stop talking," I order, rubbing my temples, "for a minute. I lost you a while back."

Nudge opens her mouth again, perhaps to clarify, but I put my finger over her lips. "Not. Another. Word." I command. She nods meekly, and I remove my hand.

There was another bad thing- she was right. If not for kissing Fang, I would have never trusted him, never acknowledged his words as the truth. What did Nudge have, other than a few random dreams, and a couple strangers with secrets? It was incredibly open minded of her to even consider it, and continue to meet with me and discuss it.

I see Nudge raise her hand slowly and nod at her. "Yes?"

"What's my favorite color?" She asks. I immediately realize her point and reply.

"Pink. Sometimes blue, depending on your mood."

She nods. "Favorite kind of shoes?"

I bite my lip. "I want to say top-siders, but I'm not sure. You know, you should probably ask Fang or Iggy, not me, because I don't remember any of this. I just believe in it."

She shakes her head and then hesitates. "With you, I feel…safe. I feel it with Fang and Iggy too, sort of, but not nearly as much as I do with you. You make me feel like I could trust you with anything- with my life. It's a stronger vibe from you than from the guys. Besides, if you do turn out to be a creepy kidnapper, I figure my chances of escape are better with you."

I smile at her last sentence. "You might have been better off choosing Iggy, then. I'm almost to the point where I can beat Fang again. Heck, just last week I took on four cops on my own, and they had guns with them."

Nudge's mouth opens in a silent O. I realize it might not have been the best idea to tell her that I was a great fighter, and got into scuffles with the law enforcement people. She slowly backs away from me, but then takes a step back toward me and grabs her coffee cup. She sits down again and sips it slowly.

I raise my eyebrow at her questioningly. She shrugs. "I've loved top-siders since age eight. You knowing that must count for something"

Well, then.

I do believe that is known as PROGRESS.

* * *

><p>"Pizza," Iggy declares around a mouthful of food, "is the best invention since the computer."<p>

"I'm pretty sure pizza came around before computers, Ig." Fang clarifies, downing half a slice of the famous New York pizza in one bite.

Iggy brushes Fang's words aside. "That's beside the point. The point is, pizza is the most epic meal ever, and is most important, following only the computer."

I glare at the two of them stuffing their faces. "Shuddup, Ig." I say in a deceptively calm voice. My stomach gurgles, ruining whatever intimidation I had worked to bring.

"You know, you could always just eat, Max." Fang suggests, faux-innocently. With his eyes wide and cheeks bulging, he looks like a squirrel. A very dark, handsome squirrel. But I digress.

"I'm not caving," I protest, glaring at the two of them, at the huge pizza pie in front of me, at everything in the twenty foot vicinity.

"It's just a bet," Iggy teases. "You'll only have to wear ballet flats for a week if you lose."

"It's a matter of pride, Iggy!" I exclaim, nearly growling in frustration and hunger. "And I'm out of here."

"Wait, Max," Fang attempts to say. Around the mouthful of pizza, it sounds more like "Waai, Maaac."

Still standing, I turn to face him. "What?"

Thankfully, he swallows before continuing. "Did anything happen with Nudge today?"

Sighing, I sit back down. "No, not really. I mean, she asked me a couple questions and I answered them correctly, but that doesn't mean anything. And she said she felt safe around me, but that doesn't mean anything, either. She needs more solid proof, I think."

"She felt _safe_ around you?" Fang asks, grabbing another plate and setting a slice of pizza on it.

"Well, yeah. Her exact words were something like 'with you, I feel safe. You make me feel like I could trust you with anything, with my life.'"

"That's kind of a big deal," Iggy says, smirking. I frown, confused at his smirk. Fang pushes the pizza plate to me. I accept it graciously.

"It's progress," I eventually say. "But it's still pretty slow going."

"I can't think of what else we can do. It's only been three days. You took much longer, and you had "solid proof,' as you put it." Fang shrugs and takes a long drink from his coke.

"Yeah," I say sullenly, not able to think of any solution. "I think…I think we just need to convince her to come with us. If I don't remember even with proof, I doubt she will without any. Maybe having the Gasman and Angel here would make a difference."

"Maybe," Iggy offers wisely, "Or maybe not."

Fang ignores his sarcasm and takes his words seriously. "You're actually right, though. There's no way to know, so what do we do? We forget about it and only concentrate on what we're sure about."

I nod, shrug, and take another huge bite of pizza, savoring the way it melts in my mouth. "Okay," I agree easily. "Let's just keep up what we're doing for now. We'll deal with tomorrow, tomorrow."

"That's an excellent plan, Max! As always, look on the bright side!" Iggy chirps, literally.

"What is that, Ig?" I ask dryly.

He grins at me so startlingly that I freak for the briefest second. "You ate," Iggy says, his smile widening. "Shall we go shopping for some cute, girly shoes?"

I shriek wordlessly as I throw my plate at him. Iggy laughs and dodges it easily, not even flinching as it shatters in hundreds of pieces right beside him. I probably would have done more, but already people were starting to stare, so I fix Iggy with the coldest, meanest stare I can.

"I will _kill_ you," I spit, eyes flaring.

"Bring it," Iggy says easily, smiling tauntingly.

Fang watches us both calmly, gnawing on a breadstick. "Anger management is in your future." He remarks.

Alright it might not have been the smartest thing to do. And it might have gotten us kicked out of a great restaurant. But I can proudly say I waited a full five seconds before I tackled Fang.

Progress, right?

* * *

><p><strong>AN- I have to say, I enjoyed writing this chapter :) Review, anyone?**


	23. Chapter 23

**Gooooooooood stuff! There was this state writing competition thing and I WON FOURTH PLACE which is kind of a big deal to me :D And even better, the next chapter is loooooong, to make up for the trend of really short chapters.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

Nudge was a nutcase. Who else would agree to come on a journey with three kids who were saying that her entire life was a lie and that she could fly? Oh, wait, I did. The only difference was that I could see the wings, and sort of remember things, and actually could fly, whereas Nudge was just accompanying us without any proof.

Alright, I'll stop being so dramatic. Nudge wasn't coming with us permanently; we were just taking a vacation. Fang was driving, and I was curled up in the passenger seat, while Nudge chattered Iggy's ears off in the backseat.

"Do you actually think it'll work?" Fang says, jolting me out of reverie.

"I hope so," I turn to face him, "because there's nothing else I can come up with."

He takes his eyes off the road to look at me for a brief moment. Finally, he says, "Fifty-fifty."

"What?"

"There's a fifty-fifty chance that this will work. Either we'll go back to Central Park and the same stores we went to and the place we got makeovers and she remembers, or she doesn't. There's only one way to find out, right?"

Nodding, I fiddle with the lid to my soda. Fang looks at me again and his eyes soften. "Max, relax." He orders. "There's nothing for you to be worrying about right now. Nothing at all."

"It's-" I break off, trying to put my thoughts into words properly. I take a deep breathe and start again. "I'm just trying to see the bigger picture. I'm not worried about us now, or about Nudge remembering, or even about me remembering. I'm confused as to who could have done this to us, and what the point was. In every story you tell me, there are Erasers and Flyboys or M-Geeks or something chasing us, hunting us, fighting us. Why is this so easy?" I chuckle at the irony. Just minutes before, I had been complaining about the difficulty of making Nudge remember, and now I was saying it was too easy?

"I don't want to be walking into a trap." I end, sort of delayed.

Fang grabs my hand in both of his. I notice random things all of sudden, like that the car smells like fresh pine, and he's only driving with a knee.

"Max, we got this." He stares at me, his eyes determined or angry, or maybe a combination of the two. "We'll just take it one step at a time. Like always." Again, his eyes soften, but I'm not in a mood to let anybody in. We stare at each other for a few seconds, my face blank, his gentle.

I nod, and then ruin the moment with my usual tact. "Two hands on the wheel."

* * *

><p>"I'm huuuungry!" Nudge exclaims.<p>

"Yeah?" Fang asks, his expression bemused. "Go get some burritos." He hands Nudge some money and she skips off to the vendor, dragging Iggy by hand.

I look after them with a wry smile. "How are we always so hungry?"

"Do you want the scientific explanation?" Fang offers.

I dismiss it with a wave of my hand. "It was rhetorical."

"Figures," he says. I turn around to find that his face is close. Like, way too close to mine. We both take a step back in unison, blushing.

"Sorry." He mutters.

"My fault." I reply, pretending to be captivated by a passing car.

Where had the awkwardness between Fang and I come from? We used to be able to talk about everything and anything, and all of a sudden I couldn't have a conversation with him without ending it abruptly.

Suddenly, my brain shorts out. I feel like I am spinning for a moment, and I sit down so I don't fall. Wait, ow! Maybe I did fall. My head explodes into pain, and I scrunch up into a ball, trying to be small, trying to make the hurt go away. I am acutely aware of the tears streaming down my face, and I hear several screams before I realize it's me screaming.

God, it hurt. It is like nothing I had ever experienced before. A million knives are spinning in my head, in my stomach. My toes are freezing; my head feels like it's on fire. I want to die. Please god, if you're up there, just let me die. And just as quickly, it's all over.

And blessed, glorious blackness engulfs me.

* * *

><p>Someone is stroking my hair. It's a wonderful sensation to wake up to, actually. I don't open my eyes, but simply relax and stretch under the blanket. My head hurts slightly, like waking up from a night of sickness.<p>

"Max?" A voice asks me.

"Hmm," I hum.

"How you feeling?" The voice is deep, resonant. I think for a second. Who do I know that has that voice? Oh, that's right, Fang.

"Fang?" I ask, trying to confirm it.

"Yeah." He responds. I force my eyes to open finally. Fang's worried face looms over mine. When he moves back slightly, harsh, bright light shines into my eyes and I squint. I become aware of my surroundings. White walls, white bed, shiny steel equipment, I'm in a hospital for sure.

"What happened?" I ask Fang, who's still sitting on the edge of my bed. I push my blankets away from me and try to sit up.

"Don-" Fang begins, but it's too late. I feel the bile rising up my throat. Fang hands me a bin and I throw up into it, my throat burning and my eyes watering. Fang presses the assistance button and a nurse walks in to take away my bucket. I force myself to walk over to the sink and rinse my mouth out. When I come back to sit down, Fang hands me some water.

"Thanks," I say, sipping it gratefully. After I'm fully in control of myself, I repeat my question. "What happened?"

"You had a brain attack," Fang explains, watching me carefully. "I could have handled it, but there were too many people around us to slip away."

Wincing, I touch my still tender head. "Does this happen a lot?"

He shakes his head no."Well, sort of. Not often, but whenever the Voice comes back, you get one. Some are worse than others. This was definitely one of the milder ones."

Mild? Details are starting to come back to me, and if that was mild, I have no idea how I managed to survive through the extreme ones. I fully grasp the meaning of Fang's words a second later. "Wait, a voice?"

"The Voice, actually. And yeah, you have a voice in you head."

Oh, do I? No biggie. –Note sarcasm.-

"And it just…talks to me?"

Fang laughs at my obvious confusion. "Only you know, Max. But I think so, yeah."

"How do you know it's not just me, talking to myself? Maybe it's my conscious?

Fang ponders for a second, then grins. "You're not smart enough to come with the answers on your own."

I slug him in the arm weakly, feigning mock hurt.

"I take this to mean you're feeling better?" He asks me.

I nod. "I'm okay. Can we leave?"

He shrugs, as if saying why-the-heck-not. I get up and toss my hospital gown off. Thankfully, I'm still wearing my shirt and jeans underneath it. Fang and I stroll out of the hospital casually, and nobody makes the slightest effort to stop us. It's easier this way, no records, no bills, nobody even knowing our names.

As we walk in the bright sunlight, I decide I have to say it. "Thanks, Fang."

He turns his head, his lips quirked up in one corner in his trademark half smile. Fang looks at me for a long time before he actually speaks. "Don't be silly. You don't have to thank me."

I shrug. Maybe the old Maximum could just brush it aside, because she probably helped Fang in countless ways, too, but right now he was constantly there for me, and not vice versa. "Really. I mean it," I add, chiding myself for making it sound so childish.

"You're welcome, then." He says simply. Cue another awkward silence.

What was up with me and Fang?

_You're in love._

I look around wildly for several seconds until I realize I hadn't heard that with my ears- I had heard it from _inside_ my head.

Who are you? I think.

_The voice in your head, obviously. _

Oh, are you? No biggie. –Note Sarcasm.-

* * *

><p><strong>AN- I'm really excited about next chapter! :D :D :D It's one of those chapters that are both fun to write and engaging to read- at least, I hope so! I'M IN ONE OF THOSE RIDICULOUSLY PEPPY FOR NO REASON MOODS, YAY.**

**Reviews are like looking at your phone and having 15 new text messages- happy inducing.**


	24. Chapter 24

**I got several questions about this, so here's the answer. Regarding the placement of this fan fiction in the series, it's after Max and before/during Fang. Fang hasn't left, and Fang's Gang doesn't exist. **

**And it's been storming like crazy around here, so my internet was down yesterday. I didn't make plans for the first friday night is forever, and I was looking forward to just chilling on the computer, mayube writing some, and relaxing but nope! My power goes out : / Fun, right? Anyway, that's my excuse for not posting yesterday, even though I think I care more than you guys. I update every friday like clockwork; it's weird not doing it.**

**The reviews for the last few chapter were seriously bumming, guys. I got like, 7? What happened to the good ol' 25 by the first day? So I don't mean to whine and beg you for reviews. I just wanted to say that it's much harder to find motivation to write when your readers don't seem to care.**

**In your defense, the last few chapters were kind of short and pretty uneventful. So I understand. This one should be better! Here's the long chapter I promised:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

****Let me take a moment to mention that I have the worst luck, _ever._ And Fang and Iggy come a close second and third. But between the three of us, we were screwed. How we hadn't been killed already was a puzzle to me.

Nudge hadn't remembered anything by tracing the same paths Fang claimed we had walked years ago. So the entire trip was a bum. Perhaps worst of all, my little visit to the hospital hadn't been the easy come-and-go we thought it would. Apparently, someone had caught a glimpse of our wings or something, because our most favorite mutations were after us yet again.

Flyboys.

I sprint down the next alley only to notice that there are a few more cronies at the end.

"Keep going!" I shout, and we keep running through the street.

"We need to stand and fight!" Fang yells. I stop running immediately and stare at Fang, openmouthed.

"There are like, at least 50 of them. And four of us. How exactly does that add up?" I ask nervously.

His eyes are calm, and Iggy looks equally composed beside him. "There's no way we're going to outrun them, Max. We've battled more at once before, and still won," Fang replies.

That was news to me, but if we had done it before, we could do it again. "We fight." I relent.

"We fight." Iggy echoes. And then a girly squeak makes us remember that we're not alone.

"I don't know how to fight!" Nudge squeaks.

Fang gets down to his knees so that he's looking up at Nudge. "You're strong, and brave, and a much better fighter than all of them combined. You've proved that us to us time and time again. You can do it, Nudge. Just let your instincts take over."

Nudge squares her shoulders and nods grimly, clearly inspired by Fang's speech. "Okay," she says simply, and I'm proud of her for stepping it up.

"Is there anything I need to know?" I ask in general. "Any helpful tips?"

Iggy purses his lips thoughtfully. "Yeah, aim for their necks, their heads get clean bowled off." He pauses to laugh. "I can handle most of them if you give me long enough." He breaks off and stares at the near by fire hydrant, pulling out a wire from him back pack.

"What?" Nudge crinkles her nose, obviously confused.

"He's a pyromaniac," Fang says by way of explanation. "He'll blow up most of them if we can give him enough time."

"They're almost here. Nudge, you good?" I interrupt. The flyboys are much closer now, and I can hear their mechanical whirring.

"I'm good." She replies, shifting awkwardly in her version of a fighting stance. In contrary, Fang and I stand normally, almost casually, saving our energy for the actual fight itself.

_Voice?_ I think. _Anything I need to know?_

No reply, of course. Fang had explained how annoying I found this Voice, and time was only proving his point. After manifesting in my head, it hadn't spoken to me again, even when I asked it something. I had to admit, it felt more than a little silly to talk to myself in my own head, but I made the sacrifice.

Take a moment and count your blessings. You have no idea how easy you have it.

And then I have no more time to think, because the first flyboy is upon me.

I punch, I twist, I kick. It falls to the ground. Wow, was it really that easy? I step over it, heading for the next one, but it grabs my foot and yanks me down with it. Oof. I spoke too soon. I dodge a punch coming to my head and launch my own at the Flyboy's stomach. The hit was strong enough to knock a normal person down, but these were machines. The flyboy doesn't even flinch, but continues to attack me. I am immediately throw into the defensive mode.

I deflect several hints, dodging and spinning but not landing a single blow of my own. Suddenly, the flyboy's head falls off and I jump, not wanting to be touched by it. Behind it stands Fang.

"Aim for their heads!" He shouts, and then runs back into battle. He is easily fighting off six of his own, while I took this long to destroy one, and that too only with help. I am just as good a fighter as Fang, so I charge into the mob surrounding us. One spinning kick knocks three heads off and I would pat myself on the back if I could. Nudge screams so I make my way over to her, grabbing the flyboy she's fighting from behind and snapping him in half.

Nudge stares, openmouthed. I repeat Fang's advice to her, "Aim for their heads!" and once again join the fight.

I try to do another spinning kick since it worked so well the first time, but the Flyboys have learned, apparently. One of them grabs my foot and twists, causing me to fall on the ground with a painful thud! I roll back onto my feet, punching two in rapid succession so fast that they both are destroyed without having time to blink.

"I am one of many." The head of flyboy chants. "I am one of many, many, many. You have destroyed me but you will never destroy all of us because we are so many."

I kick the head to make it shut up, which actually works very effectively.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Iggy shouts, and there is an urgency in his voice that I have never heard before. I roll and shove my way out of the mass of flyboys, who make a move to follow me. Fang and Nudge are already standing safely on the outside.

Iggy kicks the fire hydrant, now hooked up to several wires and…an alarm clock? Water sprays out like a sprinkler, raining over the mass of Flyboys. They literally begin to melt into a big pool of electronics; their wires short out the instant water touches them. Just minutes later, the fight is over, with carnage (aka random flyboy parts) strewn around the battlefield (empty park).

"Oh, yeah!" Iggy cheers. He and Fang exchange high fives.

"That was AMAZING!" Nudge smiles broadly. Iggy mock bows. Then Nudge waves me over, and puts her lips by my ear.

"What, sweetie?" I ask her. She whispers into my ear, and then I break out into the hugest grin ever.

"You're sure?"

"Positive!" Nudge says, smiling immensely as well. I hug her tightly, burying my face into the mess that she calls hair contentedly. She wraps her skinny arms around my neck as well, squeezing to a point where it almost hurts. Almost.

"Are either of you hurt?" Fangs asks, coming over for the first time. Nudge and I pull away from our hug.

"I'm not. Nudge?"

"A couple bruises, no big deal." She shrugs.

Fang raises an eyebrow. "Less than a hour ago you told me you couldn't fight, and now you're shrugging off bruises and scrapes?"

Nudge and I exchange a grin. "Let's just say that I'm a changed girl." She replies, to which Fang shrugs. In boy-speak, that's equivalent to 'whatever.'

* * *

><p>Showering is seriously one of the best things ever. Add to that some hot water, good smelling soap and a fluffy towel and you've got yourself the best present I could ever want. It's incredible how much better a hot shower can make you feel when you're tired, whether the tiredness comes from a four hour soccer tournament or a quick fight with a band of mutants.<p>

I dress before the steam can evaporate and walk back into the room drying my hair. Fang sits on one the bed that Nudge and I are sharing, his hair rumpled where it was squished against the head board.

"Hey," he greets as I come in.

"Hey. Where are Nudge and Iggy?"

"Getting food," he explains. I debate whether I should clean up the boys' bed or just go sit next to him on mine. Oh, what the heck. I climb onto the bed beside Fang, my feet stretched out and wings spread.

I actually sigh at how comfortable it is and Fang turns away from the TV to shoot me an understanding smile.

"You did good out there today." He says softly, lowering the volume on the television so that it's nothing but a background noise.

I smile wryly."Gee, thanks. You too. Actually, thanks for saving my butt a few times."

He waves my gratitude (not fake, I promise!) away with one hand. "You've saved me so many times that I'm just lucky I'm getting a chance to get even."

"Not that you're anywhere near close, yet," I tease.

Fang takes my words seriously. "I'm not, you're right." He stares at me with those dark eyes in a way that's normally unnerving but right now just lustful. For once in my life, I don't ruin the moment. Even better, I actually instigate a moment.

I lean in and close my eyes. My stomach jumps the minute his lips touch mine, tasting like something spicy and addicting and sweet all at the same time. I scoot closer to him, removing the gap between us and he pulls me onto his lap completely so that I'm straddling him.

The TV drones on behind us, but we pay it no attention. My hands fly up to his hair, tangling themselves in it. One of his hands is on my neck, pulling me closer, if that's even possible. His lips move against mine entrancingly, sickeningly, addicting. He pulls away softly and I resist the urge to protest. He looks at me for a brief moment, making sure I'm okay with this before leaning into my neck. He kisses down my jaw line, which makes me tug on his shirt, trying to bring him closer, trying to get rid of this gap between us.

His hands slip under my shirt but I find myself liking it, not pulling away. They stay on my waist, but his hands are incredibly cold compared to my hot skin. I shiver, sending goosebumps all down my body. I wonder if he can feel them.

I gently tug him away from my neck so that I can kiss him again, so that I can immerse myself in those chilling eyes, in that husky smell, in him, totally and completely.

Nudge's laughter interrupts us. I pull away so quickly that he looks goofy for a second, kissing air. I pull down my shirt, which has ridden up several inches and try to smooth down my hair. Fang laughs at my efforts to look normal while Iggy and Nudge struggle to open the hotel room door.

"They know we're together," he says, his smile more genuine than it has been in days.

"Yeah, but-" I break off, knowing I don't have any good reason. Crossing my arms, I settle down next to him right as the door bursts open and Iggy and Nudge come in.

They stare at us expectantly. I raise an eyebrow. "What?"

"Ha!" Nudge exclaims suddenly. "You owe me five bucks!" She turns triumphantly towards Iggy, who narrows his eyes at me. I blush under his sightless gaze.

"Is she blushing?" He asks Nudge.

"…Yeah," Nudge answers hesitantly.

"And their clothes are wrinkled?"

Nudge nods yet again. "Yes."

"And his hair is messed up?"

Nudge drops her shoulders resignedly. "Yes! Fine. You were right."

Iggy smiles evilly. "I believe you owe me five bucks."

"What were you betting on, exactly?" Fang asks, mild curiosity lacing his voice.

Nudge answers for him. "Whether you and Max would hit up while we were gone. Gosh, Max!" She glares at me, and I blush again.

Fang laughs good-humouredly and puts his arms around my shoulders. I lean into him, and turn the TV up, ignoring Iggy and Nudge's taunts.

"Anyway," Iggy begins a few minutes later, "I brought food for your highnesses, but if you continue to ignore me, I guess I can eat it."

I jump out of bed and run to Iggy, snatching the bag out of his hands before he says a word. I climb back into bed with Fang and pull out a dozen burgers.

"Yum." I say, closing my eyes and just sniffing that insanely yummy scent.

And then we dig in.

There's nothing better than artery-clogging food to end the day with.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- A fight scene and a fax scene? Perfect. It's about time, too! It's so much more fun to write this sort of thing. **

**Reviews are like finding your favorite pencil after losing it for months- absolutely inspiring.**


	25. Chapter 25

**ANOTHER non-friday post? I give up. I officially never have a pattern to my updating again :P**

**So I have 97 people on story alerts and 94 on favorite- THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH **

**I never even imagined that this story would be so popular! Also, we're almost at 400 reviews. Can we get there with this chapter?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

"Max! MAX!"

I could hear an urgent whisper at the edge of my dreams but I push it away, not wanting to wake up. _Go away, _I thought, trying to lose myself once again in my fantasy world.

"MAXIMUM!"

Not a whisper this time. And accompanied by the shaking of my shoulder. I close my eyes harder and adamantly ignore the voice. Who dares wake me up from my beauty sleep, anyway? I shift around and refuse to wake up, trying to go back to my dream.

But to no avail. The voice (not The Voice, just a voice) had succeeded in waking me up. I crack one eye open slowly, ready to strangle whoever I first saw. I'm not quite sure what I was expecting, but I definitely didn't think that Nudge would be peering over me, her hair fluffed ridiculously from sleep and her face far too bright for the ungodly hours of the morning. I decide not to kill her.

"What, Nudge?" I croak.

"Finally! Gosh, you take like, forever to get up," Nudge babbles. "Yeah, so-"

I cut her off. I was not a morning person by any means, and had no patience to listen to her ramblings. "What time is it?"

Nudge's face splits into a look of annoyance at being interrupted. "It's like, two or something, I don't know."

"Two in the morning?" I ask her incredulously, noting how dark the world was behind the hotel curtains.

"Well, yes! But would you just shut up for two seconds? There's something I need to tell you!" Nudge yells. I stare at her, openmouthed. Did she, _Nudge_, just tell _me_ to shut up? Not only is that highly hypocritical, it's flat out rude. She was, after all, the one waking me up at the odd hour in the morning. It was still night, according to my body. Sleepy time, and all.

Nudge seems to realize her mistake instantly. "I'm sorry," she says, more softly this time. "But I really do need you to listen. You know what I told you this afternoon? I think I'm right."

"What is it, Nudge?" I ask, trying to keep my patience with her. It wasn't her fault that I was such a slow riser, but she should have known better than too-

"I believe!" Nudge shouts quickly, interrupting whatever thought had been about to form.

I open and close my mouth several times, meaning to say something but having no idea what. I know I look absurd but there were more important matters at hand.

"Say what, sweetie?" I ask, my voice dangerously low.

"I believe!" Nudge repeats, her face grinning. She lifts her shirt up to show me her wings, which I've seen since the first time I met her but not very closely. They're tawny and dark and beautiful, smaller than mine or Fang's by several feet.

I look at her face, still not letting myself believe her. When our eyes meet, she nods, then I do, and we both burst out into high pitched girly screams.

They're easier than words, anyhow.

I hug her tight, squeezing her and bombarding her with questions.

"How? What made you change your mind?"

"I think it was a combination of fighting and hanging out with Iggy," she explains.

A thought crosses my mind, immediately setting me on the wary side. "You guys didn't...?" I break off, hoping she'll get my drift.

"Ew!" Nudge blurts. "No, of course not. Iggy's like-"

The door opens, cutting Nudge off midsentence. A blurry-eyed Fang and Iggy stumble into our room, flicking the light switch on. I close my eyes to avoid being blinded by the light. A moment later, I open them again, and notice that Fang and Iggy are looking around frantically, wondering what made us scream. Well, in Iggy's case, listening for something. Fang's eyes meet mine and I shake my head.

"Nothing," I emphasize, mainly for Iggy's benefit. "Nothing happened."

"Whew," Iggy sighs, plopping on to the bed with uncanny accuracy. "We freaked when we heard you scream. I mean, the great Maximum Ride, screaming?"

I roll my eyes at his feeble attempt at sarcasm. Then I smile, remembering once again. "There was kind of an occasion for screaming, Ig."

"You're pregnant?" Iggy asks excitedly. I resist the urge to slap him on the head.

"No, dummy. Here, I'll let Nudge tell you."

Nudge lifts up her shirt and proudly shows the boys her wings. They both stare at us, not understanding. A few minutes later, Fang speaks up for the first time. "Um, Nudge, why exactly are you flashing us?"

Nudge and Iggy speak at the same time. "I have a bra on, dummy. It's the same as having a swimsuit."

"She is?" I detect the smallest hint of eagerness in Iggy's voice and slap him for real this time. "Ow! What was that for?" He asks.

"For being a pervert." I say snidely, and then face Fang again. "Think, Fang," I order.

He continues to look at me expressionless, until a light bulb literally goes off on top of his head.

"Oh!" He exclaims. "Really, Nudge? Good for you!"

Nudge beams, nodding enthusiastically.

"Wait, Nudge is pregnant?" Iggy questions. "Congratulations!"

Nudge slaps him on the opposite cheek. "You're not normally this dumb, are you? Or have I just been missing something?"

"It's a combination of waking up in the middle of night and not eating breakfast," Iggy groans.

"Shut up, Iggy." Fang looks at Nudge. "Do you remember, or just believe?"

Nudge crinkles her nose. "I remember...sort of. I mean, when I first saw my wings, a ton of memories flashed into my head, but there are still a lot of blank spots. I think all of my memories will just come back with time."

"Why didn't that happen with me," I wonder.

"What did happen with you?" Nudge asks, facing me.

"I only got a few memories, and only of me and Fang. Not anything else. Fang and Iggy filled me in on most of the important stuff, but I don't actually remember any of it."

"So you still remember your fake life?" Iggy chimes in, saying something relevant for the first time.

"Yeah. That's what feels real, still, I just know better."

"Weird!" Nudge exclaims. "For me, everything before the age of... I don't know, 12? Anyway, everything before that is almost completely faded, and replaced with old memories. Real memories. Everything after feels real, but it probably is real, right?"

"Yeah," Fang answers. "That's around when we got separated, from what I've understood."

I shrug. "I don't remember any of it."

"Maybe you were put on higher meds to make you forget?" Nudge suggests. I shrug again. It's definitely plausible, but so is pretty much everything else. There's nothing I wouldn't put past these white coats.

Fang continues to stare at me like he's trying to figure me out, but I shake it off, trying to not let it bother me.

"What time is it?" Iggy asks.

"Uh," I look at the clock, "2:27."

"Bedtime," Iggy announces. "Sayonara, everyone."

He saunters out and stumbles back into the boys' room. I hear a muffled thump, then an audible curse and the rustling of sheets that can only mean that he's found the bed.

Fang leaves a few seconds after, flipping the lights off and shutting the door gently behind him. Nudge jumps off of my bed and climbs into hers.

"Goodnight, Max." She mumbles. Just minutes later, I hear her breathing even out to the tempo that means she's asleep.

But I'm too excited to sleep. Nudge believes! In a way, we have to thank those Flyboys and whoever sent them after us, because they're the reason Nudge finally came around. With Nudge done, four of us are reunited, and back to normal. We just have two more to go. Gazzy and Angel, if you're out there, I'm coming for you.

Soon.

I promise.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- EEEEEEEEEEE!**

**Review, anyone?**


	26. Chapter 26

**100 people on story alert and favorites, each! Thank you all so much! It means a ton to me that so many of you read this :) And past 400 for the review count? :D :D :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

Let me take a moment to count my blessings: Dear Hotel Owner, thank you for having the sense to have an all-you-can-eat complimentary breakfast. Sincerely, Max.

The hotel's budget was screwed the minute four of us hungry bird kids walked in for breakfast the next morning. The place was nice, with a whole dining hall just for breakfast, not to mention the huge windows and the city landscape behind us. We didn't normally stay in such nice places, but after the Flyboy fight yesterday, we just needed to crash, and this was the first place we found. We filled our trays to the brim- waffles, eggs, fruits galore!- and sat down, surprisingly only attracting about half the people's angry looks. I take care to pour syrup all over my waffles, topping it with powdered sugar and cut strawberries. Licking my lips, I dig in, while Nudge looks at me with barely concealed disgust.

"What?" I ask, genuinely confused.

"That is so bad for you! Look at all those carbs and saturated fats." Nudge crinkles her nose. I exchange a puzzled look with Fang. He didn't seem to understand either, so I figured it was more of a Nudge-thing that a Max-is-so-clueless thing.

Okay, I'm exaggerating. After living with Brooke for 16 years, and then with Julia for a few months, I knew what carbohydrates were. I also knew, from flying with Fang and Iggy, that being a bird kid meant consuming at least triple a normal human's calorie intake for a day in one meal was average and totally fine. I give Nudge my trade mark DILLIGAF look and resume pigging out on my carbohydrate filled, sugary, fatty foods.

Fang tactfully changes the subject before Nudge can continue her lecture on healthy eating. "How exactly did you decide to believe, Nudge? With Max, it took a ton of prompting." He smirks at me, and I feel my cheeks heat up at the memory of the day I believed.

Nudge, luckily, doesn't catch my blush. "Okay, so I think I was pretty much convinced after the fight with Flyboys, because they were exactly like you described. And plus, I've never fought in my life, and I think I did pretty good, considering that. Too good to have never fought before. And then when I went to get food with Iggy, just hanging out, the two of us, brought back a couple faint memories."

"Like?" I ask, genuinely intrigued. Fang stiffened beside me. When Nudge first mentioned that, I had totally gotten the wrong idea, thinking that maybe she and Iggy had a _thing_. I could tell Fang was forming the same conclusion beside me, so I waved at Nudge to explain.

"I don't know; it was really vague! But I think I remember sitting on the counter while he cooked something and us just talking. And I remember him clamping his hand over my mouth on more than one occasion." She said the last part cheekily, grinning.

I look at Iggy to see if he's even paying attention, and to my surprise, he is. He looks alert and smart and very non-Iggy-like. "Yeah, you were a motor mouth," he says, by way of explanation.

"By the way," Fang begins, pausing to take a swig of orange juice, "what was up with you last night? You were totally off your rocker."

"When am I not?" Iggy asks calmly. I burst out laughing. Iggy grins. "Seriously though, I have no idea. Sleep deprivation? Hunger?"

I shake my head, taking a huge bit of waffle. "So, what are we doing next?"

Fang's smile abruptly falls off his face and I feel slightly bad for bringing this up. It's necessary, though, so I continue to look at him, waiting for him to lay out the plan. Fang and I had pretty much decided that although I was naturally better at being a leader than him (his words, not mine), I couldn't really lead while not knowing so much myself. Until I got my memories back, I wasn't even on the leading list. Fang was leader, Iggy his second, and then Nudge. And me last.

Which was slightly depressing, but I got over it. Greater good, right?

"We don't have any sort of lead on Angel and Gazzy," Iggy explains, taking over for Fang. "But we can start looking."

"How?" Nudge asks, curious. I don't know the answer either, so I lean in.

"Yeah, how did you find out about Nudge, anyways? And me? " I ask.

"I heard my parents talking about 'the one in Chicago, the one in New Jersey, and the one in Boston. Since Fang was in Chicago, we assumed Nudge was in Boston and you in New Jersey." Iggy tells us.

I nod. "And then how did you find out about the whole boarding school and moving to Florida?"

This time, Fang answers. "We went to New Jersey first, actually, and ran into this kid who reads my blog, actually. He went to your school, apparently? So we asked him about you, and he filled us in as to where you went and such. "

I crinkle my nose. "Weird, who?"

"Oh, gosh, what was it, Ig?"

"Jeremy. Jeremy Robertson, or something like that." Iggy replies.

"No, it wasn't that long. Maybe Jeremy, but the last name was… Rickson!" Fang snaps his fingers, smiling as he remembers it.

I gasp, loudly. "Jake Rickson." I stare at them, deadpanned, hoping that they say no.

"Yeah!" Iggy says, smiling as well. "Do you know him?"

"I _hate_ him. Ugh, I can't believe I owe all this to that slimy, rotten, no-good-"

Nudge pats my arm, her way of telling me to cool it. "It's okay, Max. You'll never see him again."

I shake my head at her. "No, Nudge. Now that you've said that, I'm bound to run into him at the worst moment possible."

Moral of the story? Don't do bad things to people. Karma will bite you in the butt. Or maybe it's just out to get me, personally.

Well, Karma, join the list.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," I hiss under my breath, crawling under the rack to slip into yet another part of the store without being seen.<p>

"Chill, Max. We're just sharpening our survival skills," Fang says, shooting me a reassuring glance.

"You are so freaking dumb! Hello, we got into a FIGHT the other day. With Flyboys! We should be saving our energy, not crawling around stores like dumb amateurs!" I reply.

Fang simply shrugs in response, his eyes darting around the mall to see if there is anyone who might see us if we sprint across to the next aisle.

"Faaaaang!" I shout, poking him to get his attention.

Rolling his eyes, he turns to face me. "What?"

"This is pointless. Why am I even listening to you? I thought I was leader?"

He turns back around, not even responding.

"And plus," I complain further, "we're not the ones that need it most, anyway! That's Nudge! I fight! And play sports! And you and Iggy are freaking perfect, according to him, so why are only you and I doing this nonsense?"

Fang turns around and glares at me. Even though it doesn't quite scare me, it's still discerning and slightly eerie. Especially in this light, I can't even see his pupil, and his glare feels like it bores into my soul.

Oh, shut up. What am I saying? My glare could top his any day. I glare right back, getting small satisfaction in the slightest movement of his hand. It's a withdrawal, no matter how unconsciously he did it.

"And Fang,-"

"Would you stop talking?" Fang whisper-yells. "Oh my gosh, for once, just shut up and do what someone else tells you. You are _such_ a BRAT!"

I scoff in disbelief. "What?"

"I think you heard me," Fang mutters pointedly.

I cross my arms and glare at him. "Oh, no, no, no, no. You did not just say that."

He crosses his arms and mocks me in a false falsetto. "You did not just say that."

"And I don't sound like that!" I shriek. "What is _wrong_ with you, oh my God!"

Fang closes his eyes and his face takes on a pained expression as if it hurts him to talk to me. And that's the final straw. I get up, not caring how awkward I might look to an onlooker, standing up from behind a rack of clothing.

I open my mouth several times before I decide what to say. Fang watches me guardedly, as if he meant what he said but he wishes he didn't quite put it like that. Well, that makes two of us, buddy. I finally think of the right words. "Who _are_ you?"

When I see his expression immediately become slightly hurt, I feel satisfied, not bad. It sounds awful to say, but in the heat of an argument, the other person being sad is something to cherish. I might have stepped too far, though, because the whole me-forgetting-him is still sore and I probably struck a nerve with my question alienating him.

I watch him for a few seconds, giving him an opportunity to apologize, or maybe even yell at me to sit down. He remains the exact same, not moving, not twitching a muscle. There's nothing in his face even asking me to stay, so I nod in acceptance and with that dramatic flourish, I storm out of the store, wrapping my arms around myself to brace myself for the Boston cold. Shivering, I walk blindly, not paying attention to where I'm going.

Maybe I was overreacting slightly. All he did was tell me to shut up, after all. But I couldn't have been imagining the tone in his voice.

It was not joking.

It was not friendly.

It was colder than the snow falling around me, making me literally shake with cold. All around me, people are bundled up in heavy coats and scarves; I am in a t-shirt and jeans. I duck into the first café around the block, far enough that I don't have to worry about Fang finding me. I didn't even have a credit card, so I couldn't actually buy a drink, but I slide into a two person booth and put my head down.

I wasn't overreacting.

Fang and I were best friends, obviously. We were together, obviously.

Even without my memories, I knew Fang better than I knew myself. I knew the half way smile that comes onto his face when he found something funny. I knew the twinkle in his eyes when he was up to something. I knew the groove in his neck that made him shiver when I kissed it. I knew the spot between his wings that was most sensitive. I knew how nervous he could be, even when his expression was stoic. I knew how sweet he could be, even he tried to mask it with smirks and winks.

I knew that Fang did not say things lightly.

I knew that Fang I had been in a fight.

And I knew that it was bigger than just the two of us and him telling me to shut up.

And I put my head in my hands and just cry.

Because sometimes, I just need to let it all out.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- I hate it when they fight too, but this scene actually has relevance. It's necessary! I'm sorry! And Fang's not actually being a jerk, just saying. He has his reasons, which will be revealed (drum roll) NEXT CHAPTER!**

**Ahaha, sorry, I'm ridiculously hyper right now. Review in celebration of the first time in a long time a chapter was longer than 1500 words?**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

Crying makes me feel weak, and defenseless, and girly, but the moment the tears stop coming, I feel instantly much better. You have to understand, I wasn't just crying about Fang. That would be petty, and kind of dumb. It was just the final straw, the thing that set me off.

Think about it, for a second. I had been torn away from the life I knew, without memories to replace it. I believed Fang and Iggy unconditionally; my life with them _was_ my life. But whether I call it fake or old, my other life would always haunt me, until the day I regained my memories. Maybe Anne and I didn't see eye to eye always, but she was my mom for 16 years, and I missed her. And Brooke, and even Jeb, even after Iggy told me what a jerk he was.

So I deserved a few moments to cry, to let it all out. But that didn't mean I had to like it. I don't pick my head up- it's still cradled in my arms, on the table. I hear somebody slid into the seat across from mine, but I don't look up.

Part of me doesn't want it to be Fang. Doesn't want to face him, doesn't want to explain my overreaction.

Part of me wants it to be Fang. I tell myself it's only so that I can yell at him for being a jerk, but I know the truth. I can't lie to myself. The other part of me wants it to be Fang, and wants him to come, hug me tight, apologize, and take me home. I want him to be the sweet, perfect boy. And that's the reason why I hate expecting things, and hate being sentimental. Because when I look up, it's not Fang that I see- it's Iggy.

He smiles at me sympathetically. "Hey, Max," he says softly.

"Hey, Iggy," I reply bitterly. I hate the way my voice sounds- raw, weak, open. There are so many things about myself that I despise right now.

Iggy reaches over the table and takes my hand into his. His touch if warm, soothing, and brotherly. Comforting. Nothing else, but maybe it's exactly what I need right now. Not Fang with his confusing passion/rage/love feelings. Loving Iggy is simple, unconditional, and perfect.

"He didn't actually tell me what happened," Iggy begins, not being very subtle about asking what had passed between Fang and me.

I'm not in the mood to explain right away, though. Fang's name brings forth another spark of fury within me. But Iggy deserves to know.

I stall. "What _did_ he tell you?"

Iggy shrugs. "He came back to the hotel really angrily, slamming doors and whatnot. When I knocked on his door, he opened it, and he was saying stuff so fast I didn't understand. Something about not being himself, and what a douche he was being. Max, he was beating himself up. What happened?"

I take a deep breath, and begin to tell my story. I'm surprised at how easily the words flow- I stumble over a few but mostly they come out in a rush. Iggy just sits and nods and peers at me with concern filling his sightless eyes.

"I don't know why he said that," I conclude. "And I don't know why I overreacted so badly. It wasn't my choice, but it's wasn't _me_ at all. I cry, but not like this. Not over something so trivial."

Iggy looks at me so gravely I start to worry. "Iggy?" I ask cautiously, drawing him out of his trance.

He begins to speak slowly, exaggeratedly. "Max, do you remember the night that Nudge told us she remembered?"

"Yeah," I reply, confused as to where he was going with this.

"I acted pretty crazy, didn't I? Delusional? Annoying? Stupid?"

"I guess. I didn't really notice much; I was pretty tired too."

"I _wasn't myself_." Iggy says finally, simply, with emphasis.

The pieces click together so quickly I'm surprised I haven't thought of it before. "And Fang said-?"

"That he wasn't feeling like himself," Iggy confirms.

"So that means that-" I break off, staring at Iggy, hoping he'll say no and tell me it means good things instead.

Instead, he nods at me solemnly. "That's exactly what it means."

"Oh, no, Iggy!" I exclaim, suddenly realizing the severity of it all.

"I know, Max." We both rise, as if planned, and when he holds his arms out, I don't hesitate to step into the them. I hug Iggy tight. A brief moment later, we pull apart.

"I need to talk to Fang," I declare.

Iggy studies me for one moment. "Okay. Let's go."

* * *

><p>One knock on the hotel door.<p>

Two feet hit the floor with a thud inside the room, the sound of someone jumping off of the bed.

Three quick steps to get to the door.

Just enough time to take four breaths when the door opens.

Fang stands there.

Five seconds later, we're holding each tightly, whispering and muttering and I almost break down crying again.

"I'm sorry!" It's the sixth time he's said it.

"Me too," I whisper, inhaling deeply, glad to be back with my family. Back at home.

Then I pull away, brisk and businesslike. Seven minutes of emotions, and I'm worn out. "Iggy and I thought of something."

"That we're being…?" Fang asks, raising an eyebrow and trailing off but leaving me no doubt as to what he means.

I wrinkle my brow. "When did you figure it out?"

"When Nudge has an anti-Nudge moment just a few minutes ago. I just thought of it, and it would explain a lot."

"EIGHT MINUTES!" Nudge bursts, running out of the bathroom with her hair dripping wet. "Ha, Fang, I win! I told you I could take a shower in less than ten minutes!"

Suddenly, all at once, she seems to notice our serious expressions. The smile drops off of her face, and I feel bad instantly.

"What's wrong?" She asks tentatively.

Fang, Iggy and I look at each other, none of knowing how to tell her. It's not exactly pleasant news, but Nudge was old enough that we wouldn't withhold information from her. We were older, but it was hard to keep that in mind.

"The thing is, Nudge," I start, but my voice just stops. I'm not lying; I honestly try to say things, but my throat closes up and I can't get a single word out. I make the apology evident all across my face, but Nudge doesn't even acknowledge it. She instead turns to Iggy and Fang,

"Please, guys!" She breaks the silence, hysteria seeping into her voice. I'm on the verge of cracking but Iggy beats me to it.

"It's not that bad, Nudge. Just that um, for whatever reason, sometimes we're sort of being controlled and we act differently. Than normal, I mean."

Nudge gapes. It's the first time I've heard it spoken out loud. _We're sort of being controlled and we act differently._ Funny how nine words made such an impact.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Okay, who saw that coming? Not the most creative of twists, I know, but at least Dylan wasn't involved? :] Review, please!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Okay so I FINALLY saw Avengers and ohmigosh, it was fanstastic! It was really action packed and funny, but in a witty sort of way, not to mention all those ripped guys... ;]**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Third Person POV:**

"You're really annoying, you know that?" The little girl says, crossing her arms. She's looking up at a young boy easily two or three years older than her with a defiant expression.

"I'm annoying? Look at you! I don't even know you, stop following me around! You are seriously like, a stalker," The boy replies, cross. "And now you tell me that I'm your brother? I've never in my life seen you before until you started to creep on me."

The girl's mouth drops open; she is incredulous and annoyed and frustrated all at once. "Okay, then. How do I know this? CAPTAIN TERROR."

The boy looks perplexed. "What?"

"Yeah, Captain Terror. And you also go by the Gasman, right?"

This time the boy starts to back away. He's only eleven, and there's a limit to how much he can take before becoming afraid. But then, like any other inquisitive 11-year-old, he comes back, curious. Caution is second priority; questions are first.

"Who are you?" He looks to the girl and stares. He _knows_, in the back of his mind, but the knowledge itself will not manifest without proof.

The girl stares back, not scared in the least, not backing down. Even at six, she had been strong-willed, and she had only gotten more so over the three years. "I'm from your dreams. Right?"

"Right," The boy confirms. "But who are you?"

The girl smiles for the first time, unexpected warmth in her face. "Don't be silly, Gazzy. I'm Angel, your sister."

**Max's POV:**

"So do we have any ideas?" I throw the question out casually, but the need for a solution is actually quite dire. At the risk of sounding cliché, time is ticking. The longer we took to find Angel and Gazzy, the more difficult it might become for us. We had already realized that while Fang, Iggy, and Nudge had regained their memories, and I my belief, we were still not entirely ourselves. There were stills slightly different parts to our personalities, as they pointed out. Of course, I couldn't tell. I didn't remember. But the fact was, we were sometimes radically different- whether because of psychological reasons or not I couldn't tell you. The worst-case scenario was that we were being controlled.

And I always prepared for the worst-case scenario.

"We could like, have a secret code!" Nudge suggested glumly, not expecting a response. We all reach the same conclusion seconds later, but Iggy spells it out anyways. Going through the motions is just what is keeping us sane.

"We would still remember it even if we were being controlled, Nudge."

Tick, tock. Silence falls over us like a blanket, suffocating and overpowering. Ironically, Fang, the prince of silence, breaks it.

"Trust," he says simply. "That's what it comes down to. I trust all of you. And even if one of us acts slightly out of line, it's not a big deal. Yes, we might get mad at each other. Yes, we might even fight, and yes, we might do stupid things. But the simple knowledge of this fact will force us to consider it every time we get angry at each other. I don't think it's a big deal. We just have to keep it in mind, beware of it, and ignore it."

The words flow from him, not awkward, even though he rarely utters such long soliloquies. Fang, I decide, is the master of silence. He keeps it and breaks it and uses it to his advantage.

"I agree," Iggy announces. "He's right, guys. We're taking this too seriously. Who cares? Let's go. There are more important things to worry about. Namely, Angel and the Gasman."

Nudge is convinced. "Let's do this!" She exclaims, pumping her fist in the air and striding out of the boys' room. Iggy turns his head towards Fang and I, then follows her.

"You're not convinced," Fang mutters softly. It's not a question.

I shake my head, accepting that he was right. "No, I'm not. But I do see the truth in it. I think…I'm the most affected." Talking to Fang is literally like therapy for me. I have never even thought it before, but now that I say it, I realize that that is what's been bugging me the most.

Now, the words all come out in a rush. "I'm the only one who doesn't remember. The only one who didn't have dreams. The one who took the longest to come around. I'm the freak!" I'm whispering, but shouting. It feels as if a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I have said it, and now it's the open. It might be shallow or petty, but what's said is said.

Fang nudges my shoulder. "You're such a worrywart," He teases. It catches me off guard.

"Excuse me?" I ask, not very nicely.

He laughs. "Max, you're the leader. You're their biggest fear. Of course they'd give you a higher dose of whatever they did to us. Just imagine, if you had your memories back, if you went through what we did, we'd all be together by now, beating up whoever did this to us."

"Fang…" I trail off, touched not only by his comforting but also by the amount of respect he had for me. Eventually, I find the right words. "Fang, you're just as capable as I am. I do think you're onto something, but you're doing a fantastic job right now."

His eyes meet mine, not laughing anymore. I realize that Fang is legitimately concerned about how well he's doing. He's actually under the impression that I would be doing so much better than him in the situation, had the roles been reversed.

I touch his cheek gently with the tips of my fingers. He blinks longer than normal.

"Fang," I repeat, my voice no louder than a hushed whisper. "You're wonderful." I don't elaborate, and though it sounds childish, I'm sure he understands the genuineness behind it. After all, he's Fang.

Fang knows everything about me.

My lips meet his, softly, slowly. He captures my hands in his. I feel the pressure of his fingers against mine as he plays with my hands. It's sweeter than I can imagine.

He angles his head, moving in closer. I gently tug my hands out of his grip and put them around his neck, pulling him closer. Confession- every time I kiss Fang, I can't help but want more.

He pulls away first, which isn't quite normal. It's not a lustful kiss. There is only one word for it. It a sweet kiss, a kiss full of promise.

I should have realized it a long time ago, but he really is wonderful.

"Perfect," I breathe.

Fang's lips turn up into his cocky little smile, and I know he's back to being himself. He had shown me his vulnerable side, and now he was back to normal. Still, it meant a ton to me that he trusted me with his innermost feelings.

"Me? I know," He smirks down at me, and I pout at being almost a head shorter than him. It's totally an unfair advantage during our stare downs. Good thing I always win regardless.

Smiling, I swat Fang upside the head and he winces in mock pain. "No, not you. All of this."

Still looking down at me, he hugs me tight. "I totally agree."

I melt. He knows it. He smirks. I hit him again. He scowls.

Going through the motions is what keeps us sane.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- I don't know about the rest of you out there, the ones who don't live in Florida, but schools gets out IN A WEEK YAY! I was talking to someone else about it so all of you who are being ridiculously jealous, I should probably add that we start school in the second week of August. Apparently some places don't start until after Labor Day? Anyway, I'm going to be traveling a bunch over summer and I doubt that I will finish this story anytime soon, so I'm not quite sure what I'll do about the updating business...but I'll let you know as soon as I figure it out!**

**Reviews would be briLIAM. I'm sorry, I couldn't resist ;]**


	29. Chapter 29

**The numbers are totally made up, by the way.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

"There are more than 307,503 people with the name Angel worldwide," Nudge proclaimed. "That doesn't really narrow down our search any."

"Well, don't look worldwide," I suggest. "Try just in America. I doubt they'd stick Angel randomly in a different country."

"If only we knew who 'they' were," Nudge murmured under her breath, typing furiously away at the laptop. The comment doesn't escape me, but I don't have an answer, so I pretend like I don't hear it.

She was right, of course. I had no idea who 'they' were, and if I did, it might help me out a ton. As far as I knew, we had been kidnapped and brainwashed- but why or how I didn't know. I should probably keep a list of what I do know- it'd be much shorter.

"In America, there are 183,425 people with the name Angel. But this website also says that 70.09 percent of the people named Angel are male, so I'm not sure quite how accurate it is." Nudge sighs and slumps over across the desk. I want to do the same, but am trying to keep up my spirits- at least in front of other people.

"It doesn't matter either way," Fang cuts in. "We know what we need to without a stupid website- there's thousands of people and we have no way of finding out which is her."

"And to add to all this negativity," Iggy says, "She might not even go by Angel. I didn't go by Iggy, after all, and Nudge went by Tiffany. Only you went by your real name, Max."

I shrug. Add it to the list of things I don't know. "Okay. So let's think. How did you find Nudge and I? Overhearing your parents." I answer my own question. Everybody else looks at me with bored expressions- it's not the first time we've had this conversation. I sigh in frustration. It's not easy trying to be leader, and though I tried to resume my old position, it wasn't coming naturally to me. I knew how to lead, but I was so empty, void of memory. I had only what others had told me, and although they assured me they had narrated anything significant, it was a detail that would save us now. Something we had overlooked previously but suddenly remembered. Like a name, or a place, or something mentioned, something disregarded.

"We need answers, first," Fang suggests. I'm grateful to him for taking over, although outwardly, I shoot him a glare at interrupting my leading-ness.

"You think?" Iggy snorts. "How do you propose we find these answers?"

"We could ask the president," Nudge says solemnly. I roll my eyes at her attempted sarcasm- she's got nothing on me.

"Or we could just go door to door and try to find Angel or Gazzy," Iggy adds, eager to join.

Nudge makes an awkward noise between a snort and giggle. "That might actually be easier!"

The answer comes to me like a sudden earthquake- with no reason or warning. "Guys," I begin, and something about my tone make everybody shut up and look at me.

"It's simple, isn't it? We just need to pay darling Jebby a visit."

* * *

><p>"So my dreams are real?" Jared asks Angel.<p>

"Yes, they are," She explains patiently for the umpteenth time. "Gazzy- do you mind if I call you Gazzy?- Gazzy, I have wings. And so do you. And I know it's hard to believe, but you've got to! Because it's the only way that you'll see them."

"Gazzy," The boy says, testing the way the name sounds on his tongue. "I like it."

Angel nods. "There's a reason for that name, too," She teases mischievously, her eyes sparkling.

Gazzy grins. Even at 11, his flatulence has remained entirely intact. "Okay, okay, tell me another story."

She nods again, pursing her lips thoughtfully before beginning. "So a long time ago, back when you were eight and I was five, we were attacked by Erasers."

Gazzy leans against the wall of the building behind them. Angel remains sitting cross legged a few feet away from him.

"And we were fighting, which is nothing unusual, you know? But while we were fighting, we realized that there Erasers had wings. It was a new prototype, and it was sort of scary. But not for me, because I could read their minds. And instead of thinking evil thoughts, all they were thinking was, 'Remember to flap!'" She pauses and giggles, but then her expression turns solemn.

"Gazzy, do you trust me?" She asks suddenly.

He turns to her, noting the change in her tone. After a few beats of silence, he answers. "Yeah. I can't really explain it, since I shouldn't trust you, but I do."

Angel regards him carefully, scrutinizing. Gazzy recoils slightly, but doesn't move. "Do you read my mind?"

She shakes her head. "No, I try not to. I mean, sometimes I can't help it, but I try to block it out. It's an invasion of privacy."

Gazzy regards her apprehensively. "Then why are you staring at me like that?"

"I've got an idea," Angel begins. "But it might go horribly wrong. Actually, that's more likely than it working. But it might be the answer."

"Okay," Gazzy says easily.

"Okay, what?" Angel asks.

"Okay, let's do it!"

Angel stares at him, incredulous. "You don't even know what I'm going to say yet!"

Gazzy nods, smiling. "Yeah, but I trust you. Besides, small chance of success, constant danger, what's not to like? Count me in."

She shakes her head at him, but can't help the huge smile that overtakes her small angelic face. Even at 9, her perfect blond curls and radiant clear skin have stayed the same. "You are one crazy boy," She tells him.

"And you're a maniacal girl," Gazzy replies quickly. "It makes sense that we'd be related."

Angel tackles Gazzy playfully, and he easily pushes her off, laughing. "You're not that bad," he says finally.

"And you're not that smelly anymore," Angel teases.

Gazzy makes an are-you-kidding-me face and the lets one, er, rip. Angel covers her nose and fake gags when he laughs loudly.

"I jinxed it, didn't I?

Gazzy cackles. "No, I'm just out to get you."

"Get my nose, more likely," Angel retorts.

He shrugs and let's another one go.

"Ew!" Angel exclaims, running away from him slowly. Gazzy stays where he is sitting, running a hand through his straw colored hair.

He didn't mind his life now, but it lacked adventure. It was boring. School, then soccer and then homework and relaxing and sleeping. The same schedule, day after day.

But ever since he had met Angel, things had changed. Things started to make sense. He laughed more. He wasn't a loner at school- no, far from it. But none of his friends understood him the way Angel did. So it made sense that they were brother and sister.

Rising, Gazzy runs after Angel. "I'm going to get you!" He shouts loudly, scanning the area for a glimpse of her. A giggle gives her away, and he sprints in that direction.

If this was his real life, it wasn't so bad.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMMMEEEERR, WHOOO! I will try my best to write more, but I actually have a ton of private writing (like, the stuff I don't put up, not like my diary :P) to do and I'm going to vacation a lot so I don't know how often I can even update. But I'll figure that out when the time comes.**

**Anyway, review! **


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

As I stare up at the house that used to be my old home, I can't help but feel apprehensive. I know my old life is mostly a lie, but those are memories I remember and that haunt me. A life with a not so bad mother, a bratty little sister and a dad I rarely saw. A life with school and tons of friends and normal sports. I tell myself constantly that my new life is better- it's real, anyway. I can't go back to normal knowing my real past, with my wings.

But there are still times when my fake life tugs at me, and I feel the tiniest ache in the corner of my heart.

Fang takes a step beside me so that we are standing side by side. Brushing his hand against mine, he asks, "Ready?"

I steal myself and nod. He rings the doorbell like a civilized person and I hold my breath. Nobody opens the door, but there is a car in the driveway, so I know that someone has got to be home. A few seconds pass, which feel like eternity to me. I can hear Iggy tapping his foot behind me and I resist the urge to turn around and tell him off for it. My nerves were no reason to be rude to everybody else.

The door slowly opens, revealing Anne.

"Max!" She exclaims, her eyes clouding with worry, hurt, and anger. A stab of guilt pokes my in my tummy. How much did Jeb tell Anne about all this? Did she know any of the facts, or was she under the impression that her oldest daughter had run off with a sketchy boy at boarding school?

"Anne," Fang says stoically.

Her eyes shift to him and for the first time take in Nudge, and Iggy behind us as well. "Fang," she says, her voice losing some of it's 'concern'. I squeeze my eyes shut. So Anne had known everything, including who I ran away with. I'm a pretty tough person, but there is something heart wrenching about your mom, foster or not, betraying you. She smiles again, but this time it is bittersweet. "Why don't you all come in? You obviously have a lot to tell me."

We all step in, taking off our dirty shoes and wiping our feet on the doormat. My old Toms still are on the shoe rack, right beside a pair of Brooke's gladiator sandals. When I see Nudge's top siders next to my shoes on the floor, I can't help but think that this is home- Brooke has top siders too. For a fleeting moment, everything is normal, and I'm just coming home after a tedious day of school.

But then Fang squeezes my hand gently, reassuring me, and it is enough to bring me back to the moment. We follow Anne into the kitchen, where she sits us all down at the table and brings out mugs and fills them up with piping hot chocolate.

"Were you expecting us?" I ask, noting the huge kettle of hot chocolate on the stove.

"No, that was for my book club. They'll be coming over in a half an hour, but I think they can deal with lemonade for a day." She winks at me, but I have forced any sweet memories of this lady out of my mind- none of her habits will bring back that awful feeling of nostalgia. I glare at her and she diverts her eyes quickly. I can't help but feel that prick of guilt again, but I shove it out.

How dare it come back. As if this woman is really somebody I should care about.

I grip Nudge's hand under the table, but I'm not sure whether it's to comfort me or her.

"Will Jeb be coming home soon?" Iggy asks, and I'm grateful to him for restarting the conversation.

Anne shakes her head, her expression suddenly apologetic. "He's working late tonight, but he should be home around 9."

I look at the clock. It is a few minutes past four. Fang raises his eyebrows at me, asking for out next move. Do we stay and wait, or leave and come back?

"You're welcome to ask me anything you want. I don't know as much as Jeb, but I promise to answer everything I can truthfully. If you'd rather wait, you're welcome to stay here as long as you need to," Anne continues. "Max, you're room's still the same upstairs."

"We'll stay," I say, catching everyone's eyes across the table. They all seem to be okay with it, so I repeat my decision. "We'll stay, Anne, and we'll stay out of your way for your book club. But things are going to get ugly when Jeb comes home, so you probably want them to not be here for that," I warn.

Anne nods grimly, accepting the truth behind my words. "They're staying for dinner, but I'll kick them out around 8. You all can come have dinner then, and Jeb's all yours. "

"Are you sure about dinner? We don't want to impose," Nudge says cautiously, ever the polite one. I shoot her a dirty look and then glare at Anne to urge her answer. I might not like the lady very much, but her spinach and feta lasagna is to die for.

Anne laughs humorlessly. "You don't have to glower at me, Max; I would welcome you to stay even without it. And Nudge, you won't be imposing. I'd be glad to have you all. It's the least I can do after ruining my daughter's life." She squirms as she says the last words, and I smile to myself.

Good. I'm not the only one feeling that stab of remorse.

"I am not your daughter," I mutter harshly, and I see Anne's face fall. She ducks her head, acknowledging my statement, choosing not to contest it.

"I'll call you when dinner's ready." Anne's constantly fidgeting, averting her eyes, tapping her fingers. I stare at her long and hard, but then decide that she's not hiding anything. Except maybe her tears.

I push my chair back and grab my mug, walking to the staircase with the intent to go up to my room. I suddenly wonder where Brooke is, and wish that I wasn't dramatically leaving so that I could turn around and ask. But my flock is following me, so I walk brisk and straight and don't look back.

At least, not until Anne calls my name. "Max?" She says softly, and I turn around.

She's still sitting at the table, ever so slightly quivering. "Just try to remember," She begins, her voice breaking in too many places. She swallows and continues. "Just try to remember that not everybody chose this." Her eyes tear at me, latching onto the smallest bit of affection I still have for this family.

My voice is suddenly thick, so I simply nod in response.

I can tell that Anne is trying her very best to not break own crying, and I admire her for her strength. All these years, I thought I had gotten my bravery and willpower from her- she was always determined, always selfless. But maybe these were just common characteristics of every mother, and I had gotten them from mine. "Thank you," Anne whispers, and I realize that nobody has moved although our exchange has lasted minutes.

I nod once more, and continue up the stairs. I close my eyes, letting memory carry me up the right number of stairs and turn into my room.

I open my door hesitantly, bracing myself for whatever is inside. My room looks the exact same- dark re walls, black photo frames everywhere, the mismatched sheets and clothes strewn about in the haste of packing. The dress I had worn to the club ages ago hangs from the doorknob of my closet. I flop myself down on the bed and allow myself a minute of peace before sitting up.

Nudge has taken over my beanbag chair, and Iggy's sitting on my desk. Fang is standing, facing the wall, looking at all the pictures.

"I wonder how they got these," he mutters softly. "This _is_ you. I guess they just photo-shopped you from the dog crate and onto the park swing." I hear the bitterness in his voice, but mostly there is love, love, love and concern. He turns to look at me and I can see that he's sorry that I have to go through this.

I nod slightly, telling him I'm okay. Now is not the time for me to feel bad for myself.

"Alright guys," I announce, clapping my hands together. "We need to talk about what we're going to ask Jeb."

"Who has done this to us?" Nudge blurts. I nod, scrawling the question down onto a random piece of paper on the floor of my room.

"Where Angel and Gazzy are," Iggy offers, and I write that down as well.

"How?" Fang asks simply, and I almost ask him how what, but then I realize he's referring to everything and anything.

"And why," I add, writing it down.

"No offense Max, but let me start, okay? I'm less likely to be emotionally disturbed by Jeb," Iggy says.

"Okay," I agree, not wanting to argue with him. He was right- if I started talking to Jeb, it would turn into me yelling at him for lying to me, for ruining my life, for everything. But we had one main question- where were Angel and Gazzy? If he answered that, we had a next step, a place to move on to.

"Let's just go with the flow," Nudge suggests. "We all know what information we need to walk away with at the end of today. It all depends on Jeb's responses, anyway. If Max screaming at him for lying will break him down enough to answer our questions, fine. Whatever works."

Fang speaks up next. "Nudge is right. There's no use in planning this, because nothing ever goes by plan. Let's just relax. It's the last time we'll get to for a while."

And with those final words, we all decide to chill out. Iggy browses away on my laptop, happily trying to figure out which keys are which since he can't see them. Nudge flips through the magazines that Brooke constantly puts in my room for me to read. Every now and then, she gasps, and adds some comment about, OMG, can you believe that _ wore a _ to the Grammy's?

And I walk over to Fang and look at pictures with him.

"Who's that?" he asks me, pointing to a picture of Drew and me at a concert.

"That's Drew," I answer, smiling at the thought of her. I wonder how much she knows, what she's up to in her senior year at the lamest high school in the world. "She is- she was my best friend."

Fang's eyes search my face. "And now?"

I think about it before answering. "Now you are," I say softly, leaning into him. He wraps his arm around me in a side hug.

"How hard is this for you?" Fang asks.

I open my mouth to answer _not at all_ when he adds, "Don't lie."

"It's…hard," I admit. "But I can handle it. I guess it's just hard to remember that they're not my actual family and that I'm supposed to hate them when I can't even remember what they've done to me."

"You don't have to hate them."

I raise an eyebrow at Fang. "No, I kind of do. It's supposed to be a given."

He shakes his head, a smile playing at the corners of his lips. "No, Max. There's enough hate already. Maybe you're on the right track with simple acceptance." He looks at me admiringly, encouragingly, and I decide not to tell him that I haven't quite gotten to even that acceptance stage yet.

I nod in response, and let my thoughts wander, content to just stand there with him. Next thing I know, I'm lying on my bed, and Iggy is shaking me awake.

"I fell asleep?" I ask him incredulously. How had I managed to take a nap in the midst of all this nervousness?

He laughs, nodding. "I wasn't going to wake you up but I thought that you would be angrier if I let you miss dinner."

Right on cue, my stomach grumbles and I laugh. "You're right." I reply. "Go ahead down; I'll be there in a second."

He nods and exits the now empty room. I rinse my mouth out in the bathroom and splash water on my face to wake myself up. I could smell the heavenly scent of Italian food and I all but run down the stairs.

Nudge, Fang and Iggy are already seated at the table with Anne, their plates full, but nobody's eating- they've been waiting for me.

"Sorry," I mumble out of sheer habit, sitting down and serving myself.

"Dig in," Anne says, and we happily oblige.

Nobody talk while we eat, but Fang kicks me every now and then. At least, I hope it was Fang. His face was as blank as ever, but I don't think anybody else would have played footsie with me.

We eat seconds, and thirds, and stop at fourths out of pure politeness- we could have all eaten much more. Plus, we had just flown from Boston to New Jersey, which wasn't that long of a flight, but was tiring all the same.

The doorbell rings, and Anne excuses herself to answer it. She opens it without speaking, and neither does the other person who walks in. I stop eating and crane my neck, trying to catch a glimpse of the man who used to be my father before he saw me.

But he was actually dad, and I really had gotten my slyness from him, so he turns the corner into the dining room in a way so that we see each other at the same time.

"Max," he says, his voice emotionless but his face an array of emotions. It's obvious he doesn't know what approach to go with here- cold cut scientist or loving dad?

"Jeb." I acknowledge, saying nothing more but simply staring at him.

"It's good to see you all," Jeb looks at all four of us this time.

Fang glares beside me, his regular hatred doubled by the knowledge that it was hard for me to see my parents. "I wish I could say the same thing to you," he sneers, and I want to cheer.

"Now Fang," Jeb begins, going into a defensive mode. "There's no need to assume things."

"No need?" Iggy snorts, rising so quickly that his chair is knocked over. "You are so screwed up."

I think back to the time where Iggy had insisted that he would be the least emotionally affected by Jeb and a ghost of a smile flickers across my lips.

"Jeb," I interrupt, my voice dangerously calm. "I hate you."

With those words, I feel a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders. I had said it, admitted it.

Jeb regards me with sorrow in his eyes. Yeah, right. Like he gave a rat's fart about any of us. "I'm sorry you feel that way."

"Yeah, well, I'm not," Nudge says, her eyes clouding with tears. "You were supposed to be our dad, Jeb, not our enemy. I HATE YOU!"She screams.

Jeb looks back and forth between Fang and Iggy. "You two want to make your hate evident as well?"

"No," Fang replies cruelly. "You're not worth hating."

A single tear rolls down Anne's face from her place behind Jeb.

Again, that stab of guilt. But it is gone as quickly as it came- I've never liked Jeb as much as Anne.

"Why, Jeb?" I ask simply. There's no need for me to say anything else. His face crumples.

He staggers into a seat and puts his head in his hands. When he looks up at us again, his face is resolute.

"Fine. I'll tell you everything I can. But after that, I want you all to get out." He doesn't say it meanly, but more like he's doing us a favor.

While that may be, I feel the need to retort. "Like I would have stuck around with you anyways."

He blinks for too long, and then adds one more rule. "And don't interrupt me."

"Fine," I agree, eager for his explanation.

"It started 7 years ago, when you were still at the School. You were nine years old Max, and already a force to be reckoned with," He smiles at me briefly, and then continues to tell his story.

The one that we have been waiting months to hear.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- I'm not an evil person, psh. But summer has been so good to me! Thank goodness for beaches :) For all of you who don't live coastal, what do you do for fun? I mean, there's the beach, and the movies, and the mall, and I guess I could go bowling or rock climbing or something, but if you take the beach away, there's barely anything left to do! Anyways, review? I'll try to get a chapter up in a few days instead of putting it off until next friday :]**


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride**

**Max's POV:**

"All of you were our pride and joy. As the only successful genetically engineered experiments, we went to extreme measures to take care of you. Yes, we tested on you, and no, I wasn't always okay with that. But it was something that just needed to be done, just like doing the dishes or taking out the garbage."

Iggy interrupts. "Great, so now we're being compared to garbage," he mutters, and Jeb smiles faintly.

"No, not at all. You were the thing that the School cherished most. But when you were 9, the School wanted to test your memory capacities. I had done my research- if they tampered with your memory at such a young age, your brain, which hadn't completely finished developing, would suffer permanent damage. The plan was to give your memories back in two years, but I tried my very best to persuade the scientists to not go through with it. And in the end, they agreed. Because how could they willingly mess up the minds of their favorite experiments?

"A year and half later, a certain young scientist convinced them otherwise. I think you know a Dr. Gunther-Hagen? He told them that the longer they waited, the more chance there was that the Flock would regain their memories independently and escape. We didn't like Dr. Gooney. So we kicked him out, early on. Who did this young man think he was, telling us what to do with our experiments? Especially after we had worked with them for 10 years, and he for none.

"Of course, him leaving didn't change the fact that a seed had been planted in the minds of the entire lab. Was there any truth to his twisted words? The other scientists, despite my arguments and pleadings, decided that the chance of their prized experiments escaping was too terrible to bear. They decided it was better to risk brain damage. So they were going to perform the memory experiment right then.

"I knew the truth. Before I worked with the School, I studied brain and neurosciences for many years. And even though you were ten now, Max, there was no way a seven year old Nudge, four year old Gasman or a two year old Angel could handle such an experiment. And this is when I escaped with you all. You know the rest from there. We survived for a few years before I had to go back to the School. They were angry with me, of course, but I had provided them an excellent opportunity to see your abilities in real life. When the School called me back, I had to go, because they threatened to destroy you other wise."

Alright, I know I had promised I wouldn't interrupt, but I couldn't let this comment pass with speaking. "Are you kidding me? They've been trying to destroy us for years, and we've evaded them. Don't tell me you fell for that baloney?"

Jeb turns me, half annoyed at my interjection and half taken aback, like he didn't have an answer. "This was before I learned the true extent of your abilities, Max. And you have to keep in mind that most of your 'powers' were total accidents."

"Yeah, whatever," I say, rolling my eyes. "Finish your story."

"And that's really it! You know the rest," Jeb finished, beaming at us as if he had done us all a huge favor.

"Wait. Hold up." I give Jeb my signature what-the-heck look and glare at him. "We asked for answers. Not for some BS history of our lives."

"I told you everything I can, Max," Jeb explains resolutely. "I can't tell me any more without losing my job."

"You JOB?" My voice rises a pitch. "Oh, sure, don't help your daughter and her friends who are like children to you, hold on to your JOB. Your job at a lame, inhumane place where they hurt innocent children."

Jeb sighs loudly through his nose. "Max, listen, I-"

"NO!" I yell, banging my hand against the table. I see Anne wince, but whether because of her precious table or my words I'll never know. "No, Jeb. You listen. You're a dirty, rotten liar and cheat. Through your whole little story, some stupid part of me dared to hope that you would have a good explanation, that maybe you were tortured and put up to it or trying to save us from a greater harm. Or maybe at least an excuse, like they threatened to hurt you or your family. But you're just another one of them. Just as eager to test on us, to find out if we can regain our memories. You are so SICK! You think that's okay? We're just kids! Capable kids, but kids all the same! And not only have you messed with our minds, you've separated us from each other."

When I stop, I realize that I have actually gotten choked up throughout my speech. I swallow down my tears and steel myself. I will not cry- I am angry, not sad. Furiously hateful toward this little balding man who thinks that he can control my life.

Jeb looks appalled at my interpretation of his actions. "Max, that's not true and-"

"SHUT. UP." Fang says in that deadly calm voice of his. It's the first time someone other than Jeb and I has spoken up in a while.

"We came to you with one question, Jeb. Where are Angel and Gazzy? You answer that, and we'll leave. If you want to tell us how we eventually got captured and robbed of our memories, go ahead. If you want to tell us why you went along with us this time, do it. If you want to tell us what Max is supposed to do to get her memories back, then tell her. If you're not going to, shut up and quit with the caring father act."

Somehow Fang's words strike Jeb a lot harder than mine had. He didn't insult Jeb once, where as I threw in abuse as often as possible. He treated Jeb uninterestedly, like one would a stranger on the street. My yelling, it showed that I still cared, even if I didn't want to. Fang's cool indifference made it obvious just how much he cared for Jeb- not at all.

"Fang, that's unfair of you." Jeb hasn't taken Fang's advice- he's sticking to the caring front.

"What are unfair are your lies. We can't even believe what you said; you have no proof. It's probably all utter bull crap." Iggy adopts Fang's style and chooses to not raise his voice, to not yell, to not even glare at Jeb.

"Children, listen to Jeb. He's not lying to you, I promise." Anne looks at us urgently as if we will take her word over Jeb's.

Fang says what I cannot. "Why would I believe you, Anne?"

She looks hurt, but there are more important things to keep in mind.

"Can you answer anything, Jeb?" Nudge speaks up for the first time.

Jeb hesitates, looking incredibly awkward. Suddenly, he stands, as if he has something urgent to go and do. "No," he says curtly. "I'm leaving."

I grab his arm. He turns, looking surprised. I notice something in his face that I've never seen before- a cockiness, an arrogance, as if he's challenging me for daring to lay a hand on him. I resist the urge to slap him.

"Why did you pretend to be my dad?"

He raises an eyebrow at me, suddenly shifting from the fake fatherly act to a jerk-like, rude one. "I am your dad."

"Nobody else got to be with their actual parent. Why was I with you? Why am I the only one who doesn't remember?"

"You remember because I reinforced your mind to forget the memories. Every year I would take you into my lab and perform the same procedure that everybody else only got done to them once. And you're with me because not everyone was born to a top notch scientist." Again with that haughtiness, projecting his own self importance. Still, one nagging worry in the back of my mind is let go. I wasn't weaker in any way; that isn't why I couldn't remember. It was because of Jeb.

Didn't he just seem to be the root of all my problems?

"No," I agree. "Everyone else was much luckier."

Jeb's face contorts into something ugly before returning to normal, calm and business-like. "Anne, why don't you show them the door?" He suggests, and with one look I can tell that I won't be getting any information out of him.

Shaking my head, I follow Anne out of the dining room and gesture for the others to do the same as well. At the door, Anne waits before she opens it. I look at her quizzically.

She shakes her head, but after she opens the door and we all file out, she steps out and closes the door behind her.

"You know, Max," she begins conversationally, rubbing her arms in an attempt to stay warm. "I have a friend over in Oregon who's having a baby."

"Ookay," I reply slowly, hesitantly, not sure at all where she was going with this.

"Yeah, she's actually a colleague of Jeb's; they're both scientists. Her name is Jenna, I think? I'm just happy for her because her daughter Angelina could use some company, if you know what I mean."

It hits me like a semi truck. My eyes actually widen when I realize what Anne is telling me. Next to me, Nudge gives a little yelp and I see Iggy smile out of my peripheral vision.

"Thank you, Anne," I say, and when she opens her arms for a hug, I don't hesitate before falling into them.

"Don't be a stranger, Max," Anne whispers, clutching onto me tightly. She smells like detergent and fruit, a combination only found in mothers. And then I realize that maybe Anne has been on my side after all this time; that she has only been helping me. I think back to before I went off to boarding school. Anne has never been that bad, honestly. I'm not going to forgive her for lying to me for years. But I can try not to vilify her out of proportion.

"Okay," I murmur back, this time without a moment's pause.

When I let go, the Flock and I fall into a line and walk down the block without speaking. I could see Nudge straining to keep her mouth shut, but I was glad for the silence. I needed a few moments to think.

No, I'm not still thinking about what went on at my old house. Come on, don't be silly. This is me we're talking about. I had used up my sentimental side for the next month and a half. No, I was planning.

I knew where my baby was.

Angel was in Oregon.

And it was up to me to go rescue her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- I have suddenly been bombarded with requests for Fax. Did you guys plan this or something? O.o Anyway, I will definitely do my best to write more of it into the story but as you probably guessed, I can't have Max and Fang randomly making out during such an intense scene. With that said, you'll probably see some of it next chapter. All in favor review "ay!" **

**I also got a request for having a few chapters with Fang's point of view. Originally I wanted this to all be in Max's POV, but I've already thrown in a little tidbit of Fang and a bit of Angel. It doesn't particularly matter to me whose point of view the story is written in, so let me know what you want in a review ;] **


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

You think sunrises are beautiful, don't you? I agree, totally. And beach or mountain sunrises? Man, now those are the best. You probably haven't ever seen one from high up in the air, though. And no, airplanes don't count, because how much can you see from a dingy little square window anyway? But sunrises and sunsets are so incredibly breathtaking and calming at the same time. Call it a simple pleasure, but if there's one thing I indulge myself in, it's watching the sun go down.

Nudge interrupts my peaceful moment. "Should we land?"

I try not to get irritated. "Yeah, let's."

"Ooo, can we get a room at a hotel? I'm not used to sleeping in the wilderness yet! It's creepy!"

I sigh loudly. "So we should do it more often, so you get used to it." I roll my eyes. "Fine, hotel, whatever."

"Yay! Thank you, Max!" Nudge looks like she's going to fly over and give me a hug, but my only half joking glare scares her off.

"Land at that sketchy place at 2 o'clock," I order, raising my voice so that everyone can hear. They don't reply, which is basically their consent. We swoop down in an arc, a move we had copied from the hawks. From a distant, we looked like huge, clumsy birds, I'm sure. We were pretty coordinated in my point of view, but it was nothing compared to actual birds and we weren't best friends with any other flying children to ask them.

Luckily for us, the only people in the barren area are so drunk they don't even notice us landing. We pull windbreakers on even though it's humid outside, and quickly go about finding a hotel. If my life were a movie, a five star hotel would be right across the street from us, it's neon sign glowing: VACANT. But of course, nothing in my life ever works out that perfectly. We end up walking almost 7 blocks before we get to a decent hotel.

"How can I help you," the receptionist drones, her tone making the question into a statement.

"Two rooms, two twin beds in each," I reply.

She types a few buttons into her computer before shaking her head at me. "Sorry, no can do, miss. I can get you 1 room with two queen beds and a kitchen."

I shrug. "Yeah, whatever. Does it have a couch?"

"Single seat recliner."

"We'll take it. How much?" I ask, and then pay the amount she asks by handing over my credit card. It's still light outside- the clock lets me know that it's not even seven yet. We could have kept going, but we've been flying since lunch, and that's quite a long time to be in the air. We weren't any use to Angel if we got to Oregon at an odd hour of the morning, tired and weary. Besides, while Anne had given us a clue, we still didn't know where Angel was, exactly. We had exactly three hints- the scientist's name was Jenna, Angel went by Angelina, and she lived in Oregon. I was sure she remembered her past, unlike the rest of us. After all, it's hard to hide stuff from a mind reader.

"I'll make dinner," Iggy offers. I'm instantly grateful. We had toughed it out the night before and eaten dinner in a cozy little cave. Breakfast was a bag of popcorn, each, and lunch had been several cans of soup heated over a fire. It was about time we had a proper meal. I suddenly crave more of Anne's spinach lasagna from last night.

I nod and then realize he can't see me. Even after so long of living with Iggy, I still slip up. "That would be great, thank you." I hand him my credit card so he can buy whatever he needs.

"Oh, Iggy, if you're going to the store, I need to buy new socks! Can I, Max, please?" Nudge looks at me with her Bambi eyes but it's unnecessary. Come on, I'm hardly going to deprive the kid of socks.

"Sure, just get the ones that last a long time without getting all stinky, not the fashionable Ralph Lauren ones, okay?" I stare at her intently, wanting to drive my point home, and she rolls her eyes.

"Max, what do you take me for?"

I laugh to show that I'm just kidding, but I'm really only half-joking with her. When we rescued her from that silly fashion school, I thought she had been dresses rather practically, but she later told me she was decked from head to toe in designer clothing. I found out about this after I ripped one of her frilly shirts to make bandages. Needless to say, Nudge was more than a little mad at me.

"Did anybody notice if this hotel has internet access?" I ask, changing topics swiftly.

"It does, why?" Fang says while Iggy and Nudge shake their heads no.

"Well, you and I need to look up Dr. Jenna in Oregon," I explain.

"We still have time," Iggy says, his brow furrowing.

I shrug. "We're in what, Wyoming? Utah?"

"Utah," Nudge confirms.

"Yeah, so if we plan now instead of after we get into Oregon, we can go straight to Angel instead of stopping then."

"True enough," Iggy says, shrugging. "Alright Nudge, let's go!"

We split up in the hallway and Fang and I go up to our hotel room. True to the receptionist's word, there were two queens, a big plush chair that probably reclined and a tidy kitchen that seemed cozy, albeit a little small.

I pull out Fang's laptop from his bag and make myself comfy on one of the beds. As I wait for it to start up, Fang slides up beside me.

"We don't have that many clues, actually. Jenna is a pretty common name, and there are probably lots of doctors in Oregon with daughters. What we should really look at is awards for little kids and find an Angelina there. Knowing Angel, she would have won every single recognition possible by now. Nothing is out of reach when you're a mind reader!" I laugh and wait for Fang to join me. He doesn't, so I turn to find him intently staring at me.

"Fang?" I ask.

"Mmm?" He says absently, still looking at me. He's laying down with his head propped on his elbow.

"Are you even listening to me?" I huff incredulously. He looks totally out of it.

"Sort of," he murmurs. "Don't worry Max, it's so easy to stalk people nowadays. We have plenty of information. But," he stops pointedly, "who knows when we're going to be alone again?"

"Oh. OH." I blush, finally understanding what he is getting at. "No, find Angel first," I insist stubbornly.

He sighs deeply as if I'm the most annoying person he's ever met. Sitting up, he takes the laptop from my hands. He types one single phrase into Google. _Jenna with daughter Angel in Oregon._ Creepily enough, a ton of Facebook and MySpace (who even uses that anymore?) results pop up first. Fang scrolls through a bunch before clicking on the homepage of Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute. Right there, next to the 'Bring your kid to work' event, is a picture of Angel with an older, pretty lady. It's caption reads Dr. Jenna Ison with daughter Angel near blood bank.

He then looks up Jenna Ison on yellow pages and within a few seconds we've got her address and telephone number, too.

"That was easy," I remark, feeling stupid.

Fang, to his credit, smiles at me and doesn't poke a joke at me. "Yeah, it was."

Feeling brave, I lean in closer to Fang, scooting over the pillow in between us. "What were you saying earlier?" I ask flirtatiously, way out of my league. If Fang picks up on the fact that I have no idea what I'm doing, he doesn't show it.

"Funny enough, I can't remember," he smirks, slinging one arm over my shoulders lazily.

"Well, let me see if I can help you with that." I close the final distance and graze my lips against his. His hands come up to hold my face immediately and mine circle his waist. His lips move against mine and I can't think of anything except _oh my God oh my God why do I not do this all the time?_

We break apart, breathing heavy, and I lean in to kiss his jaw instead. One of his hands moves up to stroke my hair and a small part of me prays that I had at least finger combed the leaves out of it before. As my mouth traces his jaw line, getting closer and closer to his mouth, he suddenly moves his face so that our lips are connected again, and hey, who am I to complain?

After what seems like forever and the blink of an eye all at once, I pull away. I sit upright but Fang remains laying down, smiling up at me.

I flick his nose. "You silly bird boy."

He mock-glares at me. "What was that for?" He pouts childishly, which actually makes him look incredibly adorable, but I'm not going to tell him.

Laughing, I flick his lips this time. "You're not doing your looks any favors with that face."

He scrunches up his nose and twitches one eye while biting his lip. "Does this?" He asks, his voice high pitched and nasally.

"Yes," I say, trying to keep a straight face. Normally Fang is stoic, so when I see him so open, so friendly, it brings out the best in me. "Yes, much better."

Laughing, his pulls me down next to him into a hug. I snuggle next to him, completely content for the first time since we have left Anne's.

"How badly did it bother you?" Fang asks, guessing what was on my mind with an uncanny accuracy.

I struggle to put my feelings into words. "At first I felt..betrayed. I mean, I've known the truth for a while now, but to actually see them again just brought those feelings back up." I relax into Fang's embrace, on a roll now. "I'm not going to lie, it was pretty earth shattering in that I know in my head the truth, but it's so hard to separate my memories from that, to stop the feelings, the emotions that come with my false memories. And when Anne was crying, well, according to my mind, I've tried all these years to stop her tears, and now I was causing them. And that kind of hurt. But now it's just…numbness. Like an in between of acceptance and anger and despondency and everything in one."

Fang looks at me softly, but as he opens his mouth, the door bursts open and Iggy and Nudge come in. I jump away from Fang immediately- it's a reflex.

"Dinner for you, sir and madam," Iggy bows with flourish and sets a bag of Panera onto my lap.

"I thought you were going to cook?" I ask, surprised.

"Yeah, but Nudge and I passed the bakery on our way to the store and couldn't help ourselves. Besides, it's not like we're on a budget."

"And your socks?" I turn to Nudge.

She holds up a bag of Nike socks and I sigh, glad she had bought something sensible.

Iggy speaks up again, "I would have bought groceries too, but I didn't want to have to carry them around for days. Figured we'd just stop when we needed them."

I nod. "Yeah, that's probably better."

"Did you and Fang find Angel?"

"Yup," Fang replies simply, and I elaborate.

"We have an address, telephone number, and a picture, which is plenty. We'll leave first thing in the morning."

"Mm, Panini," Fang says, pulling out a carryout box. He hands me half of the delicious smelling flat bread.

"Well, thank Igs, Nudge," I say, and then we dig in.

There's nothing like hot food to end the day with.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Ew to that ending D: I can't decide whether I like this chapter or not so I left it as it is. But drop a review for all that fax, as promised?**


	33. Chapter 33

**I don't know how long it's been out, but I FINALLY read the Nevermore preview and oh my good golly gosh. I have to admit, while I thoroughly enjoy Maximum Ride fanfiction, I haven't thought of the actual books (remember the original series? Where after book 3 everything started falling apart? Good, now you know what I'm talking about) in so long. And may I just say that the Nevermore preview just made me remember why I loved this series so much in the first place.**

**There are very, very high expectations for this book. After all, there are so many loose ends to tie up, not to mention plot holes to explain and characters to return (Fang! Angel! Come back!). I guess the only thing we can do is pray for dear Mr. James Patterson and hope that he will do justice with this finale.**

**Yeah, go light a candle in prayer or something. Keep it burning until August. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV: **

I wake up in the most cliché way possible- the sun rays hit my face and I stretch out sleepily, refreshed and ready for the new day. Oh yup, there were some nice little birds chirping outside as well! And now I would roll off- hold up.

Why had I just run into something hard? I open my eyes hesitantly to see a certain dark bird boy beside me, his eyes lit up and laughing silently.

"Why are you in my bed?" I whisper-yell, clutching the sheets to me unnecessarily. I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, so it didn't really matter if Fang saw me in it. Him sleeping with me was a completely different case, though…

Laughing, he explains. "I was up late on the computer and you and Nudge had already passed out on separate beds, and Iggy on the recliner. It was either sleeping by you or on the floor."

"Thanks for asking," I say, sarcasm oozing from my voice.

He snorts, which isn't as unattractive as you would imagine. "Right. Because you totally would have said yes if I woke you up after you had fallen asleep."

I bite my lip, holding back a laugh. He's right, of course. I could only imagine my reaction if he woke me up at some odd hour in the night to ask if he could sleep by me. Besides, we must have slept closer together on cold winter nights in caves, probably. It's not like I would remember.

Shaking my head, I get up and kick the rest of my Flock affectionately awake. "Up, up, up!" I order. Nudge groans and rolls, as does Iggy, which is to be expected.

"Fang," I say, louder than I need to. "Do you mind handing me that bucket of cold water?"

He grins, catching on. "Actually, I couldn't find anything but ice, so here's a bucket of ice."

"I'M UP!" Iggy shouts, waking up in frenzy. He glares at me before proceeding to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

Laughing, I realize that Nudge was already sitting up, too. "You guys," she whines, looking at us disdainfully. "Do you even know what a bucket of ice would do to my hair?"

"Um, wash it?" Iggy asks, apparently recovered from our rude awakening. Nudge glowers at Iggy too, apparently stunned by our hair expertise (or lack there of).

Suddenly noting that it was 8 in the morning, I do a double take. "Guys, hurry up! We need to leave…an hour ago!" Eight isn't that late, but considering that we had all gone to bed pretty early last night (except Fang), I had hoped to get an early start to the day, leave nice and early and find Angel. I toss my few possessions into a backpack and then do the same for Nudge, who had gone into the bathroom to shower or something equally as unnecessary.

"It's so early," Fang mutters, only a hint of complaint in his voice.

"The early bird gets the worm!" I chirp (he-he, bad puns for you) annoyingly.

He shakes his head at me. Iggy, always interested in food, asks, "What's for breakfast?"

"Did you get anything at the store last night?"

"Nope," says Iggy, popping the p.

"Well, there's bread in my backpack, so help your self." I toss him my bag. He catches it expertly, which is really cool to see even though I should be used to it by now. Iggy wanders into the kitchen, rummaging in the drawers for some sort of kitchen device to make breakfast with bread, apparently.

I suddenly realize that I don't see Fang, and turn twice around the room before it dawns on me that he's gone invisible. I strain to hear breathing and I don't, of course. I can barely hear Fang's breathing even when he is right beside me, perfectly visible. Nudge bursts out of the bathroom, her hair wet, and I hear a floorboard creek as if Fang had jumped to avoid getting slammed into by the door.

I turn around and start picking up socks- we had only been there for a night. How did socks even get on the floor? Slyly, I say, "Bad hiding spot!" I throw a sock at him and it hits him on the chest. He turns visible again, grinning. When he notices the distracted look on my face, he reconsiders.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I start slowly, not sure how to put it into words. "But it all seems so convenient. So easy."

Fang raises an eyebrow at me. "Easy?"

"Yeah, I mean, Anne gives us a location and we look it up and bam, we know where Angel is. Nothing ever works out that perfectly. I mean, you found me easily, and we found Nudge easily, and now we're going to get Angel, too?"

Honestly, after all this planning and calculating and questioning, it seemed far too easy, but who was I to complain?

"Maybe it's just good luck," Fang says. My turn to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Okay, never mind," He amends. "You're right, we don't have good luck. Maybe we've just gotten better at this. Planning and finding, I mean. They didn't think we would get our memories back, remember? It would be a lot harder if we didn't have past experience to guide us. Well, if Iggy, Nudge and I didn't have past experience."

"I guess," I shrug, not quite believing him but not wanting to pursue it.

"But now you've jinxed us," Iggy adds, joining our conversation and bringing us toast from the kitchen. "We're sure to run into trouble now."

"Trouble would be nice," I say simply. I don't need to elaborate. They know me, they feel the same urge to fight and fly and rescue- not this namby-pamby staying in hotels and looking things up peacefully way of living.

"Mm," Iggy consents, chomping his way through a loaf of toast.

Nudge comes out of the bathroom and I stand up, clapping my hands together. "Let's fly, people!"

And so we do.

* * *

><p>"That's Oregon!" Nudge exclaims, pointing downwards. The sudden breaking of the silence startles me, but I look where she's pointing and sure enough, it is definitely a state border. How can I tell? From the skies, I normally can't, but Oregon conveniently has a nice little hill with white flowers in green grass spelling out OREGON. And that I can read, even without my super fancy bird-vision, from up in the air.<p>

"What city, Fang?" I ask.

"Ontario."

"Isn't that in Canada?" Iggy scrunches his face in confusion.

"It's also a city In Oregon!" Nudge explains happily. "You see, I did a project on it once. 16 states in America have cities named London, but when someone says London, you obviously think of the one in Europe. Because it's the most popular."

"That makes sense, but why would you want to repeat city names? It's hardly like it's hard to think of an original name." Iggy stares at Nudge expectantly, but Nudge doesn't know. I guess her project didn't cover this part. She turns to me, but I shrug. I have no idea.

"I don't know," I say out loud for Iggy's benefit. "Ask_ them_."

Fang clears his throat pointedly. I look for him and realize that he's flying several feet behind us in place.

"If you all are done debating," he says, smirking. "I think it's time to land."

I begin to dive and the rest of my Flock follows. "This is Ontario?"

"This is Ontario," Fang confirms. I nod as we continue to swoop down. Oregon, to it's credit, is filled with lush forests and mountains and other such breathtaking scenery. It was picture perfect, but more wonderful because it was an easy task to land without being seen.

As my feet hit the ground, I smile, thinking back to when I had been scared to land after flying. Fang, noticing my grin, pokes my in the stomach, which of course turns it into a glare.

"We need a map," I announce.

"Or a place with Internet," Iggy offers. He's right, obviously, because it's much easier to just look it up.

"Or we can ask a friendly person!" Nudge pipes up. I shrug, acknowledging her. That would actually be easiest- but we were in the middle of a cluster of trees, and there were probably no people around for at least a mile.

"Or you can work your defenses," suggests another voice. I whirl around at the unfamiliar voice but my vision goes black even before I can see who- or what- it is.

Moral of the story? Don't ask for trouble. You're going to get it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-** **Even though that was shamefully predicatable, I am quite satisfied :] Come on now, you didn't think I would actually make this easy for them! Review so that Max doesn't get eaten by dragons! And sorry about the overuse of exclamation points!**


	34. Chapter 34

**As always, here's your chapter! This is actually the last Friday before I go on vacation! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Fang's POV:**

A sharp twinge in my back and before I know it I'm blinded.

"Damn, one short. Since when do they have four?" I hear a voice say.

Blackness is a weird feeling. You get so used to relying on sight that when it is stripped away from you, it's kind of confusing. But of course, we had anticipated having to fight even without vision. We had practiced.

_Waste one on Iggy, waste one on Iggy, _I pray.

And fighting was exactly what I intended to do. I could feel Max, Iggy and Nudge all forming a circle, our backs to each other and facing our kidnappers. I assumed that everyone else had been blinded too, because all of our movements were just a little too clumsy and a little too slow.

Still, it had to be enough.

"Attack, forward!" Max orders, and we launch into motion. For a brief second, the thought that I might lash out and hit my family unknowingly crosses my mind, but it can't be helped. I haven't fought in a while, but I guess that the art of fighting well is something you can't forget, like riding a bike.

After a few seconds of sprinting, I run into something solid. It's too loud and chaotic to depend on hearing, but I'm stealthy enough that I can sort of anticipate my opponent's moves. It sounds way too cool and unrealistic to say that I felt the air swooshing around me and that was how I judged my enemy's movements, but it was totally true. And much easier than it sounded. I dodge a punch aimed for my face but it still clobbers my ear. With my ear ringing, I fall to the ground and kick my foot in a circle, successfully tripping whoever was in front of me. I kick the form on the ground, unsure of how badly it was damaged and whether to move on or keep fighting.

"Fly!" I hear Max yell at the top of her lungs. Without concern for my surroundings, I snap open my wings and take to the air, knocking down a thing or two with my wingspan. My hands fumble with my blindfold, but I can't feel anything obscuring my vision- oh, no. Of course. A blindfold wouldn't even stay on- they had somehow given us shots so that we couldn't see. Who 'they' were, I had no clue. I just hoped it wasn't long-lasting.

"I…CAN'T…SEE!" Nudge shrieks from a little ways away.

"Don't waste time trying to get your vision back," I shout loudly. I open my mouth to keep talking- maybe I could say something encouraging, something peppy. But of course the one time in my life I actually choose to talk, something stops me.

A force collides with me in mid air. It's so heavy that I know it can't be any of the Flock. Great. Whoever our enemies are, they can fight in the air, too.

I throw a punch in the general area of my attacker, but my fist swings through air. I flap my wings harder, propelling myself up higher and higher, higher than I dare to without my vision. But to no avail- my pursuer flies with my and even at this high altitude, it is perfectly capable of fighting.

I grunt as my stomach takes a blow, but grab the thing that hit me and twist. Something breaks off in my hand, and I drop it immediately, grossed out.

In the distance, I hear a small robotic voice. "You have destroyed me, but I am one of many."

"Flyboys!" Max shouts.

"Twisting breaks their body parts!" Iggy yells, coming to the same conclusion as me. The action sounds disgusting, but it's effective. Before I know it, I'm surrounded by sounds of Flyboys eerily chanting their last words.

"Bombs, Iggy?" Nudge asks desperately. It _had_ been what saved us last time.

Even without seeing the look on his face, I hear the exasperation at the situation in his tone. "Of course! But I don't want to throw them at one of you!"

Another figure collides with me. I start a spinning kick but the Flyboy grabs my foot. Wait, no, that can't be right. The hand is warm and soft, nothing like the cool metal of a Flyboy.

"Max?" I ask.

"We need to find Nudge and Iggy, too. If we're together, we can fly away from explosions. We _need_ those bombs." She says assertively.

I nod, and then remember that she can't see me. "Okay," I mumble my assent.

"Iggy! Nudge! Fly to my voice!" Max screams. A Flyboy clobbers my foot and I kick it. Within a second, however, another takes it's place. I try my best to fly and fight at the same time while making sure that Max is right next to me. I want to just hold her hand so that we can be sure we won't be separated, but it is already hard enough to fight without vision- we don't need to impose other handicaps on ourselves.

There is pressure pressing against me from all sides, and while I lash out and punch and kick, I can only take out so many. Beside me, Max is doing phenomenal, if the amount of whirring I hear and creepy chanting is any indication. But this is a fight we simply cannot win- without our vision, we can't even see our adversities, much less effectively fight and disable them long enough to get away.

"We have the girl!" I hear a robotic yell. All the fighting ceases as if it has been rehearsed.

"Max?" I say desperately, reaching to the left, trying to grab her hand.

"It's Nudge," she replies brokenly, and my heart sinks.

"If you continue to fight, we will use the same serum in a much more concentrated form to permanently blind her. If you activate your bombs, we will kill her."

Oh, my God.

What a depressing twist.

"Nudge, is this for real?" Iggy calls out hopefully. The Flyboys could be bluffing, of course.

I hear muffled yelling, and then Nudge bursts out, "Yes! Fly away, guys! Don't let Anne down!" She tries to keep talking, but someone- or something- covers her mouth again and her words are indiscernible.

Don't let Anne down? What the hell? What does she mean? Max kicks me gently in confusion, asking me the same questions.

I wait for Max to give an order, to tell me what to do, to come up with a plan, but nothing but silence comes from her. I suddenly realize that she doesn't have an answer- this isn't the old Max with lots of experience in thinking on her feet. Sure, Max had done a decent job leading so far, calling out fighting orders and whatnot. But this Max didn't have all the knowledge she needed.

So it was up to me, as her second in command, to take charge.

"What do you want?" I ask loudly.

"To obstruct you in your goals," the lead Flyboy responds.

"Well, duh," I say snarkily. "But why? What is our goal, anyway? Do you mind telling us, because we have no idea?"

The Flyboy is silent for a few seconds. Good- I think I've confused it.

"Plan?" I whisper to Max, but she squeezes my hand tightly.

"Nada," she mutters back hopelessly.

So it is completely up to me.

The Flyboy chooses this moment to keep talking. "I do not know your goal, my task is simply to obstruct it."

"Oh, well, you're doing an awful job," Max jumps in for the first time. "That girl- feel free to take her. Don't kill her or blind her, but you might as well just take her. She's so girly she's of no use."

It's a desperate ploy, but maybe the situation is desperate enough for it to be used. I hold my breath while we wait for the Flyboy to reply. I squeeze Max's hand and suddenly feel bad for Iggy, who is off somewhere, not by anybody.

"Do not attempt to trick me. My information about you lets me know that you are loyal. This means you will not abandon the girl. Perhaps you will offer yourself up instead?"

I dig my nails into Max's hand before she says yes or does something equally as stupid. She shakes me off and flies forward a foot.

"Where would you take her?" She asks.

"The School," the Flyboy answers easily, but without malice. I guess it doesn't know that that was the worst possible answer it could have given.

Max sucks in a breath next to me, and violently sneezes right after. She actually stumbles in the air, falling forward a few feet and messing up the coordination of our wing beats so that our wings get tangled.

"Sorry," she apologizes unnecessarily loudly, flying forward some more so that she's even farther away from me. I suddenly understand her plan.

"My fault," I yell, "let me just move away some so that I don't keep running into you accidently." I move in the opposite direction as Max, flying away slowly.

"Oh yeah," Iggy joins in, comprehending our idea. "I have no idea where you guys are, but I don't want to run into you or a Flyboy or anything."

"Stop! Stop!" The flyboy leader seems thoroughly puzzled now. "Stop resisting!"

"We're not," Max replies innocently. "We're just moving. Moving isn't a crime, is it?"

The Flyboy leader struggles to come up with an adequate response. I smirk, knowing that they probably were not programmed to deal with someone as amazingly infuriating as Max.

"We will hurt the girl," the Flyboy threatens, only he sounds so hesitant it comes out more like a question.

"For what, moving? You know, if we breathe, we move. Do you want us to stop breathing? Okay." Max starts to gasp for breath obnoxiously, and then makes awful dying noises. I try my best to not laugh but I can't help the smile on my face.

"No, no!" It assures us quickly. "Breathe!"

"I have asthma!" Max lies, still gasping. "Nudge has my inhaler."

"Asthma? Inhaler? This girl has it?" I can hear the incredulous tone in the Flyboy's voice but it sounds less and less sure of itself.

"Alright, I'm coming over to get it, okay? Where are you?" Max calls out. She ends her sentence abruptly and begins coughing noisily.

"No, no, no, no, she can't die," the Flyboy mumbles, more to itself that out loud. "Fine, come about ten paces to your right, then about 3 paces forward, and get the inhaler from the girl."

I'm taken aback. Is it really that easy? Chiding myself for even thinking of that (the last time I did, I jinxed it) I cross my fingers as Max makes her way over to Nudge. I hear a single _thump!_ And a whirring.

"FLY DOWN!" Max screams, and I dive as fast as I can, flying straight down before I painfully right myself. I've easily plummeted down two hundred feet, and I decide to find my Flock before going on.

"Iggy? Max? Nudge?" I call out, conflicted whether as to yell louder or stay quiet and not attract the Flyboys attention.

"Fang!" Iggy replies, relieved. He flies over to me and we circle the area, trying to find Max and Nudge.

"Max!" I scream, not caring about drawing attention to myself anymore. "Nudge?"

"You're too late!" A mechanical voice cackles. Can robots even cackle? This one seemed to be making particular fun of us.

"What?" Iggy shouts. I guess he was really close to the straggling Flyboy because I hear a small fight break out.

"Tell! Me!" Iggy orders, punching the Flyboy for emphasis.

"The others have gotten away with them already. They'll both be taken to the school! You might destroy me, but I am one of many!"

Iggy screams in frustration and kicks the robot hard. It makes noises for a few seconds before shutting up. After spending so long with the Flyboys, the absence of whirring seems oddly painful.

"We lost them?" I ask in disbelief.

Iggy confirms my worst fear by not answering.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Well, that sucks. These guys just don't get a break. But I do. Oregon/California/Canada, here I come!**

**Reviews are like hot sundaes on rainy days- just right!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Well hello there! I am on vacation right now :] In Oregon, actually! I'm going to be driving to Canada and checking out Yellowstone and other such things. This is a first for me! I've never been that far west. And I'm sure that it'll much different from good ol' sunny Florida.**

**So how is this getting posted, you might ask. Well, let's all thank avian-american-supporter, who has so graciously agreed to upload for me every week like I normally would. Thanks, dear!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Iggy's POV:**

Stupid, stupid, stupid. How could he have been so stupid?

Max and Nudge were gone, and if that wasn't bad enough, Fang was freaking out so much that he was of no use either.

"Shut up!" I yell, effectively stopping the pacing and mumbling from Fang.

"I get it, okay?" I continue, talking loudly. "I'm sad too, okay? But we can't just sit here and mumble and groan and cry about it! We have to make a plan, and it better be damn good if we're going to save them. And stop complaining about how you can't see! That's how I feel ALL THE TIME, okay?"

I can feel Fang's glare on me.

"I was planning," he says quietly, which is scarier because quiet Fang is always more dangerous. "Angel of Max and Nudge?"

Oh, no. How were we supposed to choose? On one hand, we could try to rescue Max and Nudge before they were harmed and tested on and god knows what else. But especially with no sight between the two of us and injuries, there was no way we could be sure we would be successful.

On the other hand, we could try to find Angel, which should be relatively easier. And once we found Angel, it wouldn't be as hard to track Max and Nudge down. Hopefully whatever was obscuring Fang's vision would clear up by then.

Still, it was hard to say it out loud. It felt wrong to choose one Flock member over another. What needed to be done had to be done, though, and if Max was here she would happily point us in Angel's direction.

"Angel," I answer Fang, my voice not as strong as I'd hoped.

"That's what I was thinking."

"You can't see anything, Fang?"

"Nothing. Can you tell where we are at least with your ears?" He asks me. I'm surprised I haven't thought of that already. Since I was actually blind, my other senses were heightened.

"In a forest, judging by the rustle of the trees. Probably the same one we originally landed in, because we only flew up and down, not really away. "

"I guess we just have to wait this out," Fang says, his voice laced with frustration. Believe me, bro, I know the feeling.

And then we sit down and slump against trees because honestly, what else can we do?

* * *

><p><strong>Max's POV:<strong>

_At least Fang and Iggy are safe,_ I think. _At least half of us got away._

But who was I kidding? I was terrified. Without my memories, I was useless, and while Nudge would do her best to take control, it wasn't going to be pretty.

_That's okay_, I tell myself. _We can just beat them all up. It'll be a piece of cake and then we can go home. _

But I was no where as snarky and brave as I used to be, I guess, because I didn't have a plan or even an idea. And I wasn't sure I could beat them up. Maybe when there were six of us we could take on the School, but what could two of us do against them? They were sure to have upgraded their security in the past few years as well. Sure, Nudge and I could make a huge difference, and probably take out half the people. What about the other half? They would toss us right back in our cells, a whole lot more pissed than to begin with.

"Max, do we have any idea what to do?" Nudge asks me, her voice muffled by the cloth over our mouths. It's hard to make out her voice over the rumbling of the truck.

"Of course," I reply louder than necessary, infusing false bravado into my voice. "There's always a plan."

Nudge exhales. "You don't have to pretend for me, Max."

Of course not. Nudge is not the small girl who would take my word for everything anymore. Nudge is 14, the same age as me the first time I had to save the world. And I undervalue her opinions and actions way too much, because in my mind, she'll always be the preppy, cute 11-year-old.

"I'm not pretending for you, Nudge."

Nudge doesn't say anything, she just raises an eyebrow at me with so much nerve she must have gotten in from me.

But I'm not lying to her.

"No, really, Nudge. I'm pretending for both of us."

* * *

><p><strong>Iggy's POV:<strong>

"Let's go!" Fang shouts, kicking me. Huh, I must have fallen asleep.

"Did you just get your sight back?" I ask conversationally, pulling myself together and scavenging the little materials we still have in our bags.

"Yes! No!" Fang replies, panicked. "Well, I fell asleep too, and when I woke up I could see again! But I don't know how much time I've wasted because I don't know what time it was earlier."

"What time is it now?" I question slowly, my brain still slightly confused.

"It's 5 in the evening."

"Oh, my God. We landed what, around lunch time? Crap, Fang!"

"I know!" He says, and a mental picture of him tearing his hair out occurs to me. I stifle my laugh because it would be inappropriate (well, Fang would think so because he has zippo sense of humor).

"What does it look like around us?"

"There are Flyboy parts everywhere. It's kind of gross, honestly. No sign of Max and Nudge, though. No car tracks or anything either. They must have flown to a place from where they could drive, because can you imagine taking Max and Nudge all the way to the School."

I snicker. "Gosh, that'd be hell. Well that's one thing we can be happy about. Wherever they are, they'll be giving them hell."

"Unless it's the other way around," Fang says. And on that depressing note, we take off into a brisk sprint. Out of forest and through the woods, to Angel's house we go.

* * *

><p><strong>Max's POV:<strong>

"Max, wake up, we're stopping," Nudge whispers. I jerk up immediately, on guard.

It's gotten considerably darker outside, so I can barely see Nudge anymore. Still, the few moments of not having any sight at all has made me appreciate it that much more.

"So what about that plan?" Nudge asks me weakly, trying to make a joke out of it.

Neither of us laughs, though.

"Give 'em hell, kiddo," I blurt. Where did that come from? Regardless, it's the best plan we have, so I say it again. "Just give them hell."

The truck's doors open and we're yanked down, tumbling to the ground. It takes me eyes a few seconds to adjust, but as soon as they do, I figure out where we are.

The School.

Inwardly, I groan. Outwardly, my face is blank and my eyes are cold. Surrounding us is a group of whitecoats.

"Welcome!" A blond lady steps up and announces with way too much gusto.

I simply raise my eyebrow at her, not bothering to respond in any other way. Beside me, Nudge crosses her arms and chews on her lip nonchalantly, as if this is normal and we're both bored.

The lady's smile falters. You'd really think that they would be used to us by now. She drops her kind front and starts talking facts, which I'm sure she's much more comfortable.

"Just to reassure you, the shots you were given in no way impede you now. They simply cause temporary blindness with a slight side effect of confusion, which might explain any out of character behavior you have after it. We wished to take all four of you, but you have a way of trumping our plans." She says it all matter-o-factly, but her last statement gives me a slight burst of pleasure. So what if we two were captured? Their plans were still trumped, and we'd either break free or get rescued pretty quickly.

"Yeah, you're really reassuring," I snap. If I had gum in my mouth, I would have popped a bubble just for emphasis.

The lady looks flustered, which of course makes me gleeful. "Just…let's go."

Two guards grab my elbows and I shake them off. "I can walk, thank you." I was secretly flattered, though, that they even thought I need two guards on me even though my hands, feet, and wings were bound. So what if I was hobbling like a penguin? I was damn tricky.

They lead us into the building and the sickly smell of hospital hits me first. I wrinkle my nose, disgusted. As the group of scientists escort us to our cages, I try to keep track of the turns to the exit. _Left, Left, past two hallways and then right, left again, third right, left, right. _Oh, what was I thinking? Like I would remember. I could only hope that when it was actually time to bust out, I could just fly out a convenient window, or smash the roof if I needed to.

Oh, I'm sorry. Do my ideas involve breaking thousands of dollars worth of equipment? My mistake.

I smile, my internal violent thoughts giving me the last push I needed to snap out of my depressed mood.

"Here is where you'll stay," the lady gestures to a large, cozy looking area of concrete.

"No matter how big you make it, it's still a cage," Nudge explains. The lady looks totally lost.

"Yes, well, just get inside."

I stand firmly against the ground and it takes two of the guards to push me inside even though I can't touch 100 pounds. I look around as if I'm searching for something.

"Excuse me," I call out. The lady turns, her face pained as if I'm physically hurting her.

"Where's my room service bell?" I ask incredulously, no mirth in my rude expression.

The woman's mouth opens and closes several times, making her look ridiculous. Finally, she storms away, lock the door behind her.

I don't stop the smile from covering my face. However small, it's still a victory.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Ah yes, there's the kick-ass Max we all know and love. Review for victories!**


	36. Chapter 36

**Yay for Hunger Games references! I think there's only one, but all credit to Suzanne Collins for it, of course. And thanks to avian-american-supporter, again! She's the one posting :]**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Fang's POV:**

It was at times like this that I wished one of the girls was here. We wanted to walk up to a random stranger and ask about where Angel's foster mom lived, but without Angel's persuasiveness or Nudge's talkativeness or even Max's personality, there was no way we could accomplish that.

The plan was relatively easy, too, that was the worst part. Someone had to just walk up to a decent, kind looking adult and say something along the lines of: I'm completely lost! Can you please direct me to 3755 Hibiscus Street?

See, you can totally see Nudge yapping away to this stranger until they gave her directions to send her away, right? Between Iggy and me, however, I wasn't sure who was better. Sullen, silent me or smart-mouthed Iggy?

I would have rather used my laptop, but during the fighting I had lost it, and considering that it wasn't there after my sight came back, the Flyboy must have taken it back to Itex. Guess they had missed their wonderful gadget. We were at a severe disadvantage- if anybody there checked the history, they could see that I had looked up Angel's house, and we would be an easy target. We needed to get in and out, fast, and there was only one way to do it.

"I'll do it," Iggy gave in first. I give him a slight nod and notice an elderly lady sipping her coffee and reading a newspaper. Good, old ladies are normally helpful.

"Table ten steps ahead and the left," I tell him. He nods, then walks over to the lady.

"Excuse me," I hear Iggy say. The lady looks up, startled.

"Yes, young man?" The lady asks. The minute she started talking with a southern drawl I knew she wasn't going to help much. I guess Iggy didn't realize it because he plowed forward.

"I'm not from around here, and I need to get to Hibiscus Street, could you point me in the right direction, please?"

"I'm sorry, I'm not from around here either. Do you want me to consult my map?" The lady brightens and digs around in her purse while Iggy stands awkwardly.

"Don't worry about it ma'am, I can just-"

She waves him away. "I know it's in here somewhere. You just wait one second, dear."

Iggy gives me a helpless shrug, putting it on me. I sigh, and then look around. I realize for the first time that one of the waitresses is totally staring at me. _Max would kill me,_ I think, smirking. I make my way over to the waitress, who hurriedly tries to pretend like she had been arranging menus.

"Hi," I say simply.

She looks up at me from underneath her eyelashes. Up close, I can tell that she's easily 20- way too old for me, not that she cares.

"Hi," she drawls. "How can I help you?"

"I'm not from around here," I reply, using Iggy's exact words. "I need to get to Hibiscus Street, could you point me in the right direction?"

She stares at me a beat too long before answering. "Sure thing, sweetheart. Go straight down this road until you see a Barnes and Noble, then take a left at that street. The third street that's perpendicular to it is Hibiscus. What number?"

"Uh, 3755."

"Take your third left, then. Want me to draw you a map?"

I'm slightly insulted. Her directions weren't that long, and I didn't think I looked that stupid. "No thanks, I think I can remember that."

"It's not a problem," she says, holding my gaze as she reaches takes the pen stuck in the v of v-neck and grabs a napkin. She sketches out her words for me, even including a YOU ARE HERE circle. I snort at her attempt at flirting and take the napkin from her.

"Thanks," I say.

"Sure thing." She saunters away, checking on a diner as I roll my eyes and walk towards Iggy, who is still standing by the old lady.

"Thanks for all your help, but my brother figured it out," he tells her when he hears my footsteps approach, and then leaves. We walk out as I hand Iggy my map and tell him what it is.

"Max would have _killed_ you!" Iggy exclaims the minute we're out of the diner.

I laugh. "Seriously. That waitress was so flirty."

Iggy stares at me like I'm missing something. "If the waitress was just flirty, Max would have killed the waitress. The fact that you totally flirted back is why Max would kill you, dummy."

I'm mystified. "I was flirting?"

"Um, duh," Iggy stares at me like I'm blind, which I find rather ironic.

"No I wasn't!" I defend myself. "All I did was ask her for directions."

Iggy nods sarcastically. "In most societies, that's known as flirting. Out of all the people you could have gone up to, you go up to her, make no sign of resisting her charms and then walk out with her number!"

"What? I don't have her number! And she had the charm of a dead slug."

Iggy snorts and flips my napkin map over, where sure enough, a number is written along with the words: CALL ME. _How cliché,_ I think dryly. Then I turn to Iggy.

"How did you know that? You can't even see!"

Iggy winks at me, which is beyond creepy. "I'm magical."

When I don't dignify that with a response, he sighs. "I could feel the indenture with my hand, okay?"

I shake me head. "Whatever. Left in 3 steps." We turn at the Barnes and Noble as instructed and keep walking. Unlike Nudge's hectic city, there were only a handful of people walking in the streets, and yet we didn't look out of place. It seemed like your typical, suburban small town. Large enough that strangers didn't seem suspicious to the townsfolk but small enough that everyone sort of knew each other. We elicited a few stares as mom pushing strollers and kids walking dogs passed up. I guess we made quite the pair- super tall, super skinny and super pale Iggy next to me with dark hair and dark eyes and tan skin. Our windbreakers couldn't have helped either- the Sun was painfully high in the sky, making the world easily over 80 degrees even in the evening.

"Another left in 3," I tell Iggy, breaking our silence.

"What are we going to do, Fang?" Iggy asks me.

I think for a second. Max always makes a million plans with different scenarios and what to do if _ happened, but it never, ever, went as planned. I had given it up a long time ago.

"Wing it," I reply. No pun intended.

"We can't be that unprepared," Iggy counters.

"Okay, so let's just be…selling cookies."

"Only girl scouts do that, and we're neither little or girls, unless there's something you have to share with me…?"

I shoot Iggy a death glare, although it goes wasted on him. This is yet another reason we need Nudge and Max so badly. "Shut up, Iggy. Okay, we can be selling candy bars for a soccer tournament."

"Okay," replies Iggy. He pulls out a pen and some paper from the few supplies we have left. "That explains why we're knocking on the door, but how do we get Angel?"

I think about it before I answer. "I have no idea. We're here, though."

"I'll distract the lady and you ask if you can go to the bathroom. Isn't that the way they do it in movies?" Iggy asks.

"Yeah, okay." I saw. We walk up the driveway and I hesitate before knocking on the door, three time loudly.

"Channel your inner Nudge," I whisper to Iggy. He chuckles, but puts a composed expression back on his face right as the door opens.

The lady who opens the door looks just like the woman in the picture. With long black hair and startling blue eyes, she could almost actually be Angel's mom, if her husband had blonde hair or whatever.

"Yes?" She asks hesitantly, only opening the door partway as if she would close it quickly if we tried to get in.

"Ma'am, we're-" Iggy begins, but she cuts him off.

"I know who are you, silly." She beams at us, and then opens the door all the way. You would think that I had gotten used to surprises by now but what Dr. Ison says next totally shocks me.

"Fang, Iggy, why don't you come in?"

…

**A/N- Crazy stuff! Anyways, I'm probably having a great time in Canada, but I would love to see reviews in my inbox when I get home ;]**


	37. Chapter 37

**I'll be back in a few days so I can hopefully write and get up another chapter, as always. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

**Angel's POV:**

"This is so freaking cool," Gazzy breathes, stretching his newly rediscovered wings out wide. He wiggles his feathers that are at the tip of his wing, and then gently pats me with his wing. I smile, eager to get a move on.

"We need to fly," I tell him.

"But…I don't know how," He says, wrinkling his brow.

"It'll come naturally. You have your memories, right?" I pause, waiting for confirmation. He nods. "Then you should remember that you did this all the time and it was fun. So let's go!"

Gazzy turns, still hesitating. I tap my foot impatiently- the longer we stayed, the bigger the risk that we were captured. When my foster mom helped me escape from my house, she promised me a week of time before the School figured out that I was gone. The one week was up- we needed to scram, or we would be caught like flies in honey.

"My parents," Gazzy says finally. I almost cry out in annoyance.

"Gazzy, you know they are not actually your parents! You have your memories back!" I plead.

"But they're nice," He frowns adamantly. I clench my fists tightly, resisting the urge to reach into his mind and figure out what he was thinking. But I wouldn't break my pact to not read his mind, not for this. I could convince him the regular people way.

"It doesn't make you mad? The fact that they lied to you and took you away from your real family?"

"I don't think they had a choice," Gazzy whisper softly. He steels himself. "Fine. Let's go."

I unfurl my wings and start to rise in the air. The Gasman watches me for a few moments and then copies my movements exactly, rising in the air beside me.

"You're right," he agrees, "this is natural."

I simply nod in agreement, and we fly in silence for a while. Eventually, Gazzy breaks it. "Where are we going? How are we going to find the others?"

"Fang and Iggy already ran away from 'home.' They probably went to find Max, first. Nudge is in Boston,' I tell him. Taking note of his perplexed expression, I explain before he can ask. "It's a perk of being a mind reader. My parents thought about this all the time."

"How could we not see our wings?" Gazzy asks after some thought. "Making us forget is easy, but how did they make our wings invisible, to us and everybody else? And I think I would have figured it out if I touched my back and felt feathers, so how did they make them un-feel-able?"

I shrug, if that's even possible when you're flying. "I don't honestly know. It's kind of scary that science has advanced that far."

Gazzy snorts. "The scary part isn't science developing so much; it's that the School has developed it to that extent while the rest of the world is left behind."

I turn to look at him. "That's true. We need to stop that."

Before I can begin planning, Gazzy interrupts. "Don't go all crazy ruler of the world on me now. That needs to be stopped, yeah, but finding the rest of the Flock comes first."

"Of course," I reply. "But it would be awfully convenient if the two thing were tied together- and we got them both done at once."

Lost in thought, I don't notice the creature coming at us. And ever since I promised Gazzy I wouldn't intrude on his mind, I had literally turned off my mind reading- so I didn't see the Eraser tackle Gazzy till I heard the scream in his throat and turned.

* * *

><p><strong>Max's POV:<strong>

"Where is Angel?" The whitecoat asked me.

"You know," I drawl, ignoring the pain in my stomach. "I would really like to know the answer to that question too. And then if I could call up Fang and Iggy and let them know, that'd be nice too."

Another kick to my stomach by a Flyboy. Oof. I clench my fist so that I don't make a sound. After an hour or two of leaving us alone, the white coats had finally made the time to see Nudge and I, but all they wanted were stupid answers. Answers that I would never give. Where was Fang? Did I remember everything? As if I would tell them. And they didn't answer a single of my questions, namely, how did they find us, were we still being controlled, and what were their plans for us.

"How did you know the youngest girl was in Oregon?" The white coat monotoned. I let the wave of hate wash over me. If there wasn't a sheet of glass between us, a bunch of rope tying me to the chair and three Flyboys holding me down and kicking me, I would have leapt up and attacked her. It wouldn't even mess up her face that bad- it was already so pinched and old, the only thing I could possibly do is make it look better.

"Angel is in Oregon?" I asked fake excitedly, bouncing slightly in my seat as far as my binds allowed. "Gee, we were just going for a change of scenery, maybe take a hike in the mountains. That's great news!"

Ooof. Another kick to the stomach. Part of me was mad that they were resorting to such primitive punishment. Honestly, nothing they did would make me give those answers to them. And it didn't even make for a cool story!

What could I say? Oh, by the way, I got captured and these ugly creatures kicked me in the stomach a bunch of times. What a dumb sounding story.

"Will you give us any answers?" The whitecoat asked. Was that a hint of...annoyance I heard? Naw, there was no way that could be it. Me? Annoying? Yeah, right.

"Hm," I say, pretending to consider. "Probably not. I mean, you could try bribing me with chocolate chip cookies. That might work. They have to be homemade though."

The white coat shakes her head in disgust and motioned for the Flyboys to let me go.

"She isn't going to give us answers, and she can't be hurt too badly or else the tests won't work." My ears perk up immediately. Tests? What tests? I strain to hear her voice but she doesn't elaborate.

She goes on about some nonsense, but I pay attention anyway, just in case something pertains to me. "The emotional scanners are still broken. Fix it. And then repeat procedure 117A on both of the two subjects, but without the precautionary implants this time. Hopefully we can get the other soon, but by then it is essential that we figure out which tests work most effectively on the generation."

She pauses, probably listening to something that I cannot hear. When she speaks again, dread courses through my body.

"No, it doesn't matter that she's leader. She hasn't actually been leading, which leads me to assume that her memories have not come back to her. The older boy has been doing all the leading recently. He's our main target now. Yes, it was in the report submitted by F32."

Older boy. Fang. Target.

The whitecoat frowns at whoever she is talking to. "Don't be stupid, there are six of them. It doesn't matter if one or two are damaged beyond repair."

Oh, crap.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Could that possibly be foreshadowing that I see? I wonder if it's telling you to review?**


	38. Chapter 38

**I had a wonderful, wonderful vacation, for those of you who wondered. Canada, why are you so cool?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Fang's POV:**

Dr. Ison begins to walk into her posh house. When she realizes that we are not following, she looks back at us.

"Well, come on in, then," she says, smiling, beckoning us.

I turn to Iggy, unsure what to say. He nods imperceptibly and we both cross the threshold and enter the house. The first thing that hits me is the whiteness. Everything was white except for slight accents of color. But unlike the dreary pallor of a hospital, which I absolutely hated more than pretty much everything else, it looked crisp and fresh and clean. White walls, white coach, glass table, but a small crayon drawing hanging up that looks like nothing from this far but has every color on it.

I feel a pang of loneliness when I realize that Angel must have drawn it. Iggy and I take a seat on the couch while Dr. Ison walks into a different room, mumbling about being right back.

"Everything is white, isn't it?" Iggy asks me.

"Pretty much," I reply. "How can you tell?"

"You know how even when you have your eyes closed you can tell if someone just turned the light on? It's like that, but on a larger scale. The brightness is like, practically attacking me."

I make a noise in between a scoff and a chuckle. Leave it to Iggy to make me laugh in a situation like this.

"How does she know us?" I whisper to Iggy. "I feel like this is a trap."

Iggy shrugs. "Angel's not here."

I really should be used to it by now, but time and time again Iggy mystifies me with his perceptiveness. "How do you know that?" I ask him.

"I shouted for her in my mind. Had she been here, she would have heard it."

I frown, thinking about this. "If she didn't remember her powers, then she couldn't use any of them, right?"

Iggy gives me an are-you-serious face. "Right, because it's so easy to keep secrets from a mind reader."

I open my mouth to point out that whatever technology and science that had stripped us of our memories originally could easily have been altered to take away Angel's powers, at least temporarily. After losing my sight for a few hours, I was wary of anything science had to offer me. Before I can say this, though, Dr. Ison comes back with a tray of steaming hot mugs and cookies.

It's more than cliché, but I can smell the hot chocolate and cookies all the way from here and neither Iggy nor I hesitate before grabbing some of both. If it's poisoned, at least I'm dying happily.

"Now tell me," Dr. Ison says, taking a seat on the opposite couch and clasping her hands in her lap. "What can I do for you?"

"Dr. Ison," I begin, not entirely sure where I was going. I take a bite of chocolate chip cookie to give myself time but all it does is remind me of Max, which of course brings forth a pang of sadness.

"Jenna,' she interrupts. "Please call me Jenna. They only call me Dr. Ison at work."

I decide to be truthful; this lady seems genuine. You can tell these things with people. With Anne, the first time we stayed with her, her nicety had a ring of falseness to it, but Jenna seemed like the kind of person who gave blood every other week, volunteered at the animal shelter and baked brownies for every new neighbor- authentically nice.

It didn't mean I trusted her, though. Being nice and being trustworthy were two very different, very separate things.

"Jenna," I amend. "We came for Angel."

"But she's not here, is she?" Iggy interjects.

Her smile dropping, Jenna look at the two of us with wide eyes, and not just because we were staining her perfect white couch. "I told Angel to leave a week ago," she tells us. "I told her she had a week to find her brother and get as far away as possible. I told her Nudge was in Boston, and you and Iggy had already run away from home and would find Max. "

"Her brother…as in Gazzy?" Iggy asks.

"Yes," Jenna answers. "He was in Oregon too, in a city that's about a four hour drive from here. But Angel and he should be long gone- I warned her of the repercussions."

"What repercussions?" I questioned, not entirely sure if I wanted to know the answer.

Jenna gives me a sad half smile. "We're all being monitored, Fang, all us 'parents.' I could buy her a week of time by pretending that she had gone to spend some time with my sister- her aunt. But the School is sure to realize the lie now."

"Let me get this straight- you're being monitored and you're openly telling us all of this information? And you openly told Angel her real past and where to go?" I rise in my seat, ready to make a dash for it. Iggy is grabbing cookies next to me, and I can only presume they're for the road.

"Sit down, you two, I'm not stupid." She scoffs, but not meanly. "I thought all of that to Angel. I thought it all the time until I was sure that she heard what I was thinking. And I'm not monitored with a video camera or live feed- they just check up on me every now and then. Mostly it's at work, but sometimes they come home."

I haven't relaxed a muscle. "So they could be on their way this very minute?" Iggy tenses when he hears me.

"They checked up on me yesterday," Jenna reassures. "They have no reason to come again today."

Neither of us is actually reassured. "Lady, we have to go." Iggy says abruptly. "Just point us in Angel's direction- we have places to go, people to rescue."

When Jenna gives me that pathetic little half smile again, my heart sinks. "It's too late," I growl. "Let's go!"

Iggy and I both hear what Jenna can't- a roar of vehicles coming down the otherwise quiet neighborhood street. Iggy and sprint to the front door, fully meaning to leave when Jenna finally speaks up.

"Boys, they're already here. It would be wiser just waiting for them to get you."

"You witch!" Iggy curses at her while I fumble with the lock on the door. Stupid rich people, needing ten bolts to secure their homes properly. "What did you do, call them under the pretense of making us hot chocolate?"

"No, Iggy. They have me under strict monitoring. They said they would hurt Angel otherwise," Jenna pleads with him, her eyes filling up with tears, but the only thing I'm thinking is that I've got to be the stupidest person to walk this planet. I gave up my last ounce of sense when I walked in through the door. Max would have never done it.

I burst the door open and Iggy and I pull off our jackets right away, and just take off into the air, not bothering to run or not be seen. Nothing matters other than getting away, away, far away. But Iggy is not on the same wavelength as me, because he pulls me into a tall tree, folding his wings in so that he isn't as visible.

"What the hell, man?"

"How long are we going to fly?" Iggy asks me. "Hours, if we need to, but we're not going to shake those stupid Flyboys. Why not avoid the fight if we can?"

I shrug, accepting the truth in his statement. "Maybe we should hide better, then?"

"Let's find a different tree," Iggy says, laughing as he wobbles.

"No time," I tell him, noting the cars pulling up to the driveway. Jenna walks outside and I strain to hear the conversation passing between her and the lead Flyboy.

"Where are they?" He growls. Unlike us, his wings are pulled in awkwardly underneath his tight t shirt. From the front, he looks like your typical attractive, college going male, but if you look closely you notice the yellowed teeth, the sharp nails and bulky muscles and wings.

"They flew that way," Jenna says pointing in the opposite direction from where we were. I breathe a sigh of relief. I was right- Jenna wasn't all bad, she was far from it. She was genuine- genuinely worried that they would hurt Angel and therefore willing to turn us in. But I had learned my lesson- hereby I would only trust people with a dislike for the world and nothing they cared for- people like me.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" The Flyboy asks her.

Jenna looks at him levelly, not flinching, not wavering in her answer. "The life of someone that I love is at stake. Why would I lie?"

He grunts, accepting her answer. As the Flyboys climb back into the cars they came in, a thought hits me hard.

"We have to go after them."

"What?" Iggy looks at me like I've lost my marbles. Who knows, maybe I had.

"We won't be able to find Angel; it'll be a wild goose chase. There's a good chance that her and Gazzy were captured, anyway."

"Are you out of your mind, Fang? We don't give up on people like that! Angel is resourceful. They aren't any more likely to have been captured than we are.'

I look at Iggy, trying to communicate with my eyes what I couldn't with my words. But on Iggy, this didn't work, of course. "If we follow those vans, we'll be led right to Max and Nudge. And there's a possibility Angel and Gazzy are there too. But we can't waste time searching for Angel when we don't have a clue where she might be."

"She'll be in Boston, trying to find Nudge," Iggy argues. "Jenna was telling the truth, you know that. She'll be in or on her way to Boston. And we can find her."

I let out a breath in frustration. "Why are you doing this, Iggy?"

"She's little, Fang." Iggy's eyes are sad, pleading. "And Gazzy's so young too. It's what Max would have wanted. What do you think she will say to us when we save her and tell her that her baby's still missing?"

I shake my head- this is one thing that I cannot agree too. "Max in this situation would have done what I'm saying. I get it, Iggy. She's 9. You don't want to leave her to fend for herself. And you miss your crazy buddy. But you have to remember that Angel is the most capable nine year old in the world. With all of her powers, she can easily keep herself and Gazzy out of trouble. But who knows what they're doing to Max and Nudge now? Answer me with your head. Not your heart."

I cringe at the abundance of clichés in my speech, but now is not the time for jokes.

"My head is telling me that we should find Angel and the Gasman," Iggy says stubbornly.

I just look at him, waiting.

"Let's split up, then," Iggy suggests. I shake my head at this too.

"If nothing else, we have got to stick together."

A long silence. And the Iggy finally breaks it. "Fine. Max and Nudge first. But I swear I will blame it on you when Max starts yelling about how we should have gotten Angel and Gazzy before them."

I try to smile, but I'm too tense to. I'm still slightly worried about how committed Iggy is. But when I say let's go, he follows without argument, so we both set off, high in the sky, after the van.

Set off to the very place we've been desperately avoiding all along.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Cliche, ominous endings, what's not to like? Review, por favor?**


	39. Chapter 39

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:  
><strong>

"What do you mean?" I shout. What do they mean, telling us it doesn't matter if one or two are damaged beyond repair? All these years, we were their prized experiments, and now they were ready to let us go, just like that?

The whitecoat turns back, frowning. "Excuse me?"

"Answer my question!" I growl at the whitecoat. She looks at me smarmily and she makes her way back into the room I am still in. The beast next to me tenses, as if it will have to stop me from attacking.

"You have answered none of ours. Why should I do you any favors?" She shrugs at me, all while still smiling. I resist the urge to punch her face.

"Don't do me any favors," I say automatically. I think about how to word my next statement before I say it so it comes out sounding logical. "I'll answer one question of yours if you answer one of mine. You answer first!"

She regards me cautiously. "And how am I to know that you are telling the truth?"

I throw my hands up in frustration. "You're the scientist. I'm sure you have lie detectors?" The whitecoat nods and begins to step away from me.

"I need to you to cooperate with me, Maximum Ride. I need you to work with us."

I bite down a sarcastic reply but can't resist saying something snarky. "Would you like a side order of reality to go with that?"

Not my best remark, but I didn't want to be too mean. She shakes her head at me, as if she's more than used to my antics and they don't bother her anymore. I know better, though. I saw that little flinch.

"Put her back in the cage. Prepare a lie detector for tomorrow. Postpone the experiment till after," She orders her assistants. The Flyboy roughly begins untying me but I make no effort to fight back. The Flyboys each grab an arm and three others flank me as we march back to me cage. Once again, I'm flattered that I warrant so much security.

When I stumble back into the cage, Nudge is asleep. I check the door as always, but as always, they have locked it. Nudge wakes so quickly I wonder if she might have simply been pretending.

"What happened?" She asks.

I sigh. I really _don't _want to answer that question. But Nudge deserved to know, and her opinion was invaluable. So I start from the beginning and narrate my entire experience, ending with my offer to the scientist. Nudge's mouth literally falls open. No joke. She stares at me for a few seconds of blissful silence before launching into her spiel.

"Oh, my god! I can't believe it! I just can't believe it! Poor Fang and Iggy! They're going to be in so much danger, ZOMG. And we're stuck in this stupid place and we can't do anything about it. And Angel, and Gazzy, oh my gosh, I wonder if they remember yet. Maybe they're still not aware of all this. I hope not, because then that means they're in more danger. And what are they going to do if they have nobody to guide them?! AH! Maybe Fang and Iggy found them already. Or at least Angel. Poor Gazzy, he's probably alone. Fang should be okay though, right? I mean, it's not like we haven't been hurt before. Oh! Speaking of, are you okay? Did they hurt you badly?"

I blink, slightly taken aback by the length of her response. All these years of living with Nudge and I'm still not used to it. "Yeah, I'm okay," I reply to the easiest part of her speech.

"You're right; it's not such a huge deal, because we've been under attack our whole lives. Fang and Iggy are smart enough to stay out of trouble. Gazzy probably doesn't remember, but I can't say about Angel because of the whole mind reading thing. I'm just concerned because they've already developed science so that it can strip us of wings and of eyesight temporarily. What are they doing that could damage us permanently? It's just what I'm wary of."

Nudge nods slowly, agreeing with me but still caught up thinking about something else. "What question are you going to ask them? It needs to be worded perfectly."

I shrug, desperation settling on my shoulders like an unwelcome cloud. "There's so many things I want to ask, I don't know how to pick one. I want to know why they did this, of course, and how, but that definitely takes a back seat. I want to ask how to get my memory back, but that only helps me, not all of us. There are so many questions…" I trail off, not wanting to list them all.

Nudge ponders for a few seconds before she chimes, "What about if we ask them what we would had to do for them to let all of us be together again?"

I shake my head no almost immediately. "They could say 'nothing.' And then we'd be back even before square one, because I'd still have to answer their question."

"About that," Nudge begins. "Are you really going to answer it?"

"I can't lie," I say candidly. "And I promised. I'd rather not break that, even to these psychos. But it depends on what the question is, I guess."

Nudge slumps down and closes her eyes. I move from my spot near the door to sit by her. She leans her head on my shoulder. We sit in silence for longer then I expect, but eventually Nudge breaks it.

"What are your plans for us?" She asks me.

I'm taken slightly aback. "Isn't that what we're discussing?" I answer slowly.

"No, no. I mean, that's the question you should ask them. If we know even the smallest thing about what they are planning to do to us, it will be to our advantage."

I consider the question for a long time, but I honestly can't think of a loophole. "Nudge, you're a genius," I tell her.

She winks at me. "I know."

* * *

><p><strong>Angel's POV: <strong>

"Where are you taking us?" I ask, sounding braver than I felt. It was past dark, and we had just stopped for dinner, I assumed. The Flyboy looks in my direction and grunts, but makes no other response. Gazzy is asleep next to me, but we both are bound and too outnumbered to even consider escaping.

I try to listen for something, for anything with my mind but there are no people around for at least 25 miles. And they Flyboys don't have minds, which leaves me with only Gazzy's voice to hear.

"You should let us go," I inform the Flyboy, _suggesting_ it to him, but he blinks, totally unaffected. I sigh, frustrated. The Flyboy tosses me a bag and I open it to see a sandwich, an apple, a juice box and a bag of chips.

"What is this, my freaking school lunch box?" I ask him. He looks confused.

"This is dinner," he says, actually responding for the first time.

"Never mind," I mutter, chomping down on the meager dinner in minutes and still hungry. I don't bother checking if it's drugged or anything- people don't drug nine year olds without good reason. Even those people who are psychotic scientists. "Do I get more?"

The Flyboy nods and tosses me three more of the same bags. I jerk my head towards Gazzy. "Got enough for him?" Knowing the stupidity of the Flyboys, they would happily give me all the food before realizing that there were two of us. And while I'm hungry, I don't want my brother to starve.

The Flyboy holds up a handful more of brown paper bags and I drop the subject, contentedly eating my dinner for the next 15 minutes. Bored and lonely, I try to make conversations with the Flyboy.

"What's up?" I ask him, curious as to what he will reply.

He hesitates before answering. When he does, his monotonous robot voice makes the stupid answer particularly funny. "The car roof, of course."

"Where are all your friends?" I question through my laughs.

"I have no friends. My comrades have gone to contact our leader."

"Where are you taking us, again?" I ask, lacing my voice with _suggestion._

The Flyboy looks as if something is on the tip of his tongue and yet he hesitates to say anything. Do Flyboys even have tongues? I push the question to the back of my mind as he begins to answer me.

"All I can say is that you are going to the School."

My heart sinks. I remember the School all too well.

"We have already gotten custody of two of your friends. Two girls," the Flyboy tells me. My head snaps up as I dare to believe him. Max. Nudge. Max and Nudge will be at the School too. Maybe it's wrong of me to be happy, maybe I should be sad that they too have gotten captured but all I can think about is that I'm on my way to see Max, and that makes me happier than anything else in the world.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- School is starting soon and I'm not looking forward to it...drop a review to make me feel better about my life and brag that you don't start school till September?**


	40. Chapter 40

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:  
><strong>

"_It's okay, Max," Nudge whispers. She looks at me sadly, forlornly, but patiently. But this is all wrong; I should have been the one comforting her- not the other way around. I try to tell her that no, it isn't okay, but I choke on the words and have to resort to just shaking my head, back and forth, over and over, trying to put into words what I'm feeling._

_What am I feeling? Pure, burning hot agony, hotter than the tears flowing down my face. Nudge coughs and I tell myself not to look at the blood that she had just spit up or at the still bleeding red gash running from her collarbone to waist. Yeah, right, who am I kidding? I look and look and drink it all in as if that will help me come to terms with what is going on, come to terms with the fact that my darling Nudge is dying before me and I can't do anything to stop it. _

_I wish I could at least touch her, hug her, and let her know I was still here even though she almost wasn't. But I was bound to my seat, and she to hers, and there was no way either one of us could move towards the other. I strain against my binds futilely. _

"_Hold on," I croak out. My voice is ragged, broken. Nudge opens her eyes slowly, looking at me but not exactly seeing me. I continue, "Just until we land. Until this plane lands and Fang and Iggy will find us and rescue us and you go to a hospital. Just hold on."_

_Nudge trembles, as if she is gathering all her effort. A few seconds later, she speaks. Her voice is barely a mumble. "I promise to."_

I jolt awake with a pounding heart, looking around frantically until I see a safe Nudge curled up beside me. I can't even remember the details of my dream now- all I know is that Nudge was in danger and I was freaking out. It's funny how something so important can be forgotten in a brief moment. Not unlike my own memories.

_What a way to start the day,_ I think to myself. Today is the big day- I will get one small answer, but in exchange for what? I don't know how costly the answer I must give will be, but there's nothing I can think of that isn't worth getting this answer. Well, there are a bunch, but we've already established that there scientists aren't as street smart or quick witted as me- so it's doubtful they'll think of these.

Still, I guess I am wary.

Nudge begins to turn and wake up beside me, sparing me from my own thoughts.

"Good morning," She says, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Hey," I reply. "Doing good?"

"As good as I can in this place." She responds with a shrug.

I nod, but when I make no effort to continue the conversation, she speaks up again.

"So," She begins, hesitating. "Today's the day, huh?"

I nod again, not exactly sure what to say. Belatedly, I answer her. "Yeah, today's the day. Good thing we have a plan."

Maybe she thinks of it herself or maybe there is a note of pessimism in my own voice but she scoffs at me, not unkindly.

There are several beats of silence between us. "You'll do okay," Nudge says.

"I sure hope so."

* * *

><p>"Maximum Ride, please step forward." The whitecoat's voice is probably supposed to be strict and nonsense free, but I can hear the shake in his voice that only means fear. I don't bother to wipe the smirk off of my face as I get up and walk out of our shared cage.<p>

"Follow me," the man says as he briskly sets off down the hallway. I follow him way to close to be comfortable, actually treading on his shoes occasionally. I flash him a huge grin every time he glances at me, which seems to throw him off. I have a laugh at him on the inside. Making fun of whitecoats has improved my mood greatly.

Eventually, we reach a small white room not unlike an office. There are two chairs about 3 feet apart, and enough Flyboys to make the air smell like machines. My favorite whitecoat lady ever is standing, talking to one of the lesser evil beings (aka assistants). When she sees me come in, she turns to face me.

"Max, good to see you," she welcomes.

"Golly, thanks," I reply. "But you don't have to stand out of respect for me. Go on, all of you, sit down."

The Flyboys all squirm, probably searching their minds for the meaning of the word _golly_, but Dragon Lady is unfazed. She sits down coolly and I decide to drop the sarcastic manner for now- just for now.

"We've never been properly introduced. My name is Dr. Hastings." She holds her hand out and I shake it reluctantly.

"Let's not be nice," I say suddenly, cutting the Dr. off before she can begin talking. "Can we just get to it?"

She looks slightly taken aback for the first time, but she nods. "Okay. Okay, fine. Here are the rules- we both ask our questions, and then we both have to agree that we'll answer truthfully before we start answering."

"And if I don't want to answer your question?" I ask the question just in case, as a buffer.

Dr. Hastings smiles at me, but there is no amusement or warmth in her eyes. "Then tell us- we won't answer yours, either."

I nod, thinking of another question but not asking it. She seems to sense that I am holding back, so she specifies, "If you throw a curveball at us- we won't answer your question. Remember who's in control here."

Raising my eyebrow, I say, "Okay, so what if I honestly don't know the answer to your question? Or if you don't have an answer to mine?"

Apparently this has already occurred to her, because she replies without pausing. "Then another question can be asked."

I rack my brain but honestly cannot think of anything else, so I nod at the whitecoat. "Alright, lady. Bring it on."

The Flyboys approach me and begin to strap me to a lie detector. I refuse to squirm when my hand touches the cold metal but I am freaking out inside because I am willing being hooked up to some machine. In the end, it isn't as bad as I had feared. It's almost just like a blood pressure reader, connected to giant metal box I am trying very hard to ignore.

"Your question, Max?" Dr. Hastings asks me.

_Don't be careless_, I chide myself. I had to word this right. I take a few seconds before I ask. "What are all your plans for us?"

The doctor doesn't move but I see her eyes flash as if this question isn't something she had expected. A bought of glee forms inside me and I squish it down, telling myself to wait until I heard their question.

"Tell me everything about how you found Nudge and Angel," Dr. Hastings orders.

"That's not a question," I object. She sighs.

"Starting from the very minute you went with Iggy and Fang, what steps did you take to find Nudge and Angel and how?"

"That's two questions," I protest. I feel a lot like I'm 5 and arguing with an adult again, but I'll do whatever to get my way here.

"Including every detail, how did you find Nudge and Angel?"

I think through her question once. Twice. Over and over until I realize that I don't see a loophole. There is no way I can avoid ratting out Anne. I take a leap of faith, hoping something will come to me by the time I get to answering the question. And if not, I owe Anne nothing- I can tell the truth. But in my heart, I know I won't. I love Anne, even if she isn't my actual mom. Iggy once told me I would do anything for someone I loved and he wasn't wrong.

"I'll answer it," I tell her, surprised at how steady my voice is.

"Then I will answer yours. Call the coin toss," She says.

"Tails."

It's a total cliché, but it's the only thing appropriate to say: the coin spins in the air for about 3 seconds but every second feels like eternity to me.

"It's tails," Hastings shows me the coin.

"So you answer first," I demand. She nods, and then begins.

"I don't know how much of this you've found out already, but I promise this is the truth. And luckily for you, you don't have to go on just my word." She gestures to the lie detector and then continues.

"We tried to take away your memories, but it didn't work half as well as we planned. The science itself was fine- your wings did practically disappear. But it wasn't enough. We tried to monitor and influence your emotions, sort of like your little friend Angel can. But that didn't work either. The minute you put your mind to it and realized what was going it, it was no use. Your minds are stronger than the science we had tried to use. And there were a ton of other failed experiments before that, especially what with your little escapade with Batchelder. We have a new head of Itex now, and he doesn't like failure. We were collecting all of our past experiments, regardless of their successfulness and disposing of them.

My heart is pounding so fast in my chest that I'm positive she can hear it. I guess I'm in shock- I've heard of my own execution, practically, but I am not affected in any way other than a fast pulse. "So you're bringing us here to kill us?"

She snaps out of her daze and looks at me. "Don't be silly. If we wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead. We're planning to send you away- far away where you can't bother us ever again."

"Where?" I ask.

Dr. Hastings smirks at me. "I am under no obligation to answer additional questions."

I blow up. "I knew you were off your rocker, but you have got to kidding me! Are you crazy? You're sending us all to our deaths! I thought we were the most successful experiments of yours?"

She tsks at me. "Don't be dramatic, Max. You are totally right- you were probably our most successful creations- but we're starting over now, more smartly. No more legal trouble. No more chaos. A fresh, clean slate. We're still trying to combine DNA, but we're going to do it in much larger quantities. If only 2% gave you wings and enhanced speed and eyesight and so many other things, what could 10% do?"

And there goes yet another bomb. As if making us two percent wasn't bad enough, they were going to kill us and then take some poor babies and make them 1/10 animal. "Have you not seen Spider-Man?" I hiss. "Do you not understand what happens to people who mess with nature? Sure, 10% might enhance my bird qualities- but have you even considered what 10% of human DNA you're taking away? That you might have a bunch of mutants who lay eggs and chirp instead of talk?"

The whitecoat looks at me disdainfully, which is more than enough to set me off again but I make myself stay outwardly calm. "Max, I upheld my side of the deal by answering your original question. I am not here to discuss the logistics of my scientific work with you. Answer my question now."

"Okay," I start, taking a deep breath. I force myself to ignore everything I had just learned, every bombshell that had just been dropped on me and just tell my part of the story so that I could get out of here and think about this some more. "I was still at boarding school, rooming with Mattie and being best friends with her, Noah, Julia, Nate, and Sam. I had met Fang and Iggy at this point, and already accepted that I had wings, but I didn't actual remember anything. Actually, the only reason I believed Fang was because every now and then, I would get a memory of us being together."

"When you kissed," The whitecoat interrupts.

"Yeah," I say, blushing. "I flew for the first time when I was wearing a black t shirt. I only remember because it was one of my favorite t shirts but Fang had to rip wing holes in it but honestly, I didn't even mind, because I was flying, for Pete's sake!"

"Maximum," Dr. Hastings cuts me off again. "Spare me the details, please."

I try not to cackle. The lady has fallen neatly into my trap. "But you said to include every detail!" I whine.

She gives me a look of such incredulity that it borders on rudeness. "Just the significant ones, thank you."

And there it was- my loophole. Who have me the tip of who Angel's foster mom was an insignificant detail, as far as I was concerned. The rest of my story I finished fairly quickly.

"Okay, so basically I set out to Boston with Fang and Iggy, who knew Nudge was there because they had overheard their parents or snooped at home or something, I don't actually remember exactly what. All we knew was that she was in Boston but we searched all the schools until we found a name that sounded exuberant enough to be Nudge. We went and found her and voila! After a few days, we convinced her of her past. Then we found out that Angel's foster moms name was Jenna Ison and we tracked her down that way, but your horrendous mutants stopped us first."

Dr. Hastings swoops upon me immediately. "How did you find out about Angel's mom?"

I shrug. "Sorry, I'm under no obligation to answer additional questions."

She looks about ready to strangle me. What can I say? I have a talent for getting under peoples' skins.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Gosh, school started on Wednesday and I've been to 5 volleyball practices already gah. I love the sport, but sometimes it gets pretty overwhelming. Busy, busy, busy. I tried to make this relatively long for you guys, though :] And how's that for a curveball? Drop a review, pretty please with cherries on top!**


	41. Chapter 41

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Fang's POV:**

Let's not bore each other with the details- Iggy and I flew above the truck for hours and hours, passing into California and eventually to Death Valley until the truck stopped and we were at the School. Yes, it was easy to fly at 70 miles per hour and we had no problem getting food because Iggy swiped a credit card. Maybe it wasn't the most moral thing to do but that was that and now we were here.

"What does it look like?" Iggy asks me.

"Big, widespread buildings. Your typical glass and steel buildings. It's big enough to be a village, at the very least."

"With laboratories instead huts? Nice," Iggy comments dryly.

"Well, it's where Max and Nudge are, so we have to go in,' I say, trying to infuse optimism into my words. I guess it fails pretty miserably because he gives me a look that is part disgust and part concern.

"And do you have a plan, genius?"

"Of course," I reply, thinking quickly. It was a lesson I had learned from Max- always pretend that you have a plan.

"Care to enlighten me?" Iggy asks when I take too long to elaborate.

"Uh, well, there's a glass building over there, so crash in through the roof and wreak mass havoc."

Iggy grins darkly. "Excellent, it's my favorite type of plan. Destroying, breaking, what's not to like? But how exactly does this connect to Max and Nudge?"

"Scout as much as you can while we cause chaos, let ourselves get captured and once we're with Max and Nudge, break out together," I tell him. It's not the most well thought out plan, or even our best chance of success but frankly, it's the only one that I can think of at the moment.

"Alright," Iggy agrees readily. "What are we waiting for?"

* * *

><p><strong>Max's POV:<strong>

I wake up hazy- believe me, it's not a pleasant feeling. I can't remember where I am, or why I'm there.

"Where am I?" I ask out loud. If this were a movie, a nice, kind old man would now come up to me and explain that I had been freed and was living in a chocolate castle temporarily until a contract to pay me in donuts for a lifetime was arranged.

But because my life is far from a movie, I get to see my two most favorite white coats together, hovering over me.

"Jeb, Hastings," I nod my acknowledgement at them. "What happened? Why is this one room brown instead of sickly white?"

Dr. Hastings smiles grimly at me. "Humor me for a few seconds, okay?"

I nod empathetically. "Okay, here's a joke for you. A guy walks into a bar-"

"This is useless, Miranda." Jeb cuts me off. "Listen," he continues, addressing me this time. "We are going to ask you questions and you are going to answer them or we will toss you to your death by man eating lions."

"Gee," I say loudly, and I'll admit, a bit stupidly. "That's harsh. You have man eating lions too? I thought us mutant bird kids were special."

"Experiment gone wrong," Dr. Hastings explains with a wave of her hand. Then what I have just said seems to hit her, because she freezes and exchanges a look with Jeb.

"So there's no point in questioning her, then. She obviously remembers," Dr. Hastings tells Jeb. I get the feeling that she is hesitant, though, as if she's unsure and doesn't want to pass judgment.

"What is your name?" Jeb asks me.

I see no harm is replying, but can't resist bothering him. "Jeb Batchelder."

He scoffs and shakes his head at me.

"Her memory is unfortunately intact. We were too careful," Jeb tells Dr. Hastings. She looks upset.

"You said you didn't want to damage her in any way," She whines.

"Yes," murmurs Jeb thoughtfully. "I would have preferred that, yes. But sometimes…" He trails off absently.

I think about what they are saying. Obviously, they have tried another experiment to make me lose my memory but this time, it didn't work. And now Jeb was deciding whether it was okay to mess me up after all. I guess they're talking about the whole damage beyond repair thing again. I look down- I'm strapped to the cot by metal binds, and I'm on my back, on top of my wings, so there's no way I can fly out.

And there are at least 8 visible Flyboy guards I can see at either of the two doors. Considering that I myself don't know where I am, or what time it is, I doubt that Nudge is aware of anything. It's quite possible that they took me here right after the little answering or questions that Dr. Hastings and I had. Nudge probably still thinks I'm in there, talking.

"Alright," Jeb announces, startling me out of my reverie. "Do what you need to, but try your best not to ruin her completely."

"Awwwh," I coo condescendingly at Jeb. "You want to keep me around, huh?"

He gives me a look of utter disgust. I wonder how I could have ever liked this man, ever called him Dad. Then, in a voice that could melt butter and make babies cry, he says, "Well you've always been my favorite _experiment_, Maximum."

He might as well have slapped me. Emphasizing that I was nothing but an experiment to him was a low blow. I, however, am not one to sit and sulk.

"Favorite? How sweet," I shoot back. "I promise not to tell Fang."

Jeb snorts, and believe me when I say that it's not cute. "You won't be telling Fang anything- he's on the opposite side of the laboratory than you- you'll never find him. Or Iggy, or Nudge, or Gazzy or Angel. This has gone on too long, Maximum. The plan was to put you on that hunter's arena along with the rest of the mutants, but your death will be better a few days early."

Dr. Hastings shoots him a warning look- I hadn't known this much. Hunter's arena? I had no idea what it was but it didn't sound like a fun amusement park if you ask me.

My mind reels- Fang, Flock, death; it's too much to take in at once. So I do what I do best, instead- annoy Jeb.

"I'll answer your question now, Dr. Hastings." My voice is remarkably stronger than I thought it would be. Jeb looks at the doctor in surprise as she turns to me.

"You already did," She says, confused.

Shaking my head, I reply, "No. You asked me how I knew Angel lived in Oregon, remember?"

Comprehension dawns on her face. "Oh. Yes, I remember. How did you know?"

"He told me," I say, nodding at Jeb. "Let it slip. Not that lovely after all, huh?"

It wasn't a total lie. Jeb had told me about his colleague Jenna before, and I knew that she had a daughter named Angelina in Oregon, but I also knew a Rick in Texas and a Jameson in Vermont, and I would have never made the connection if Anne hadn't tipped me off. Still, they didn't need to know that.

Jeb is turning an ugly shade of red beside me while Dr. Hastings glowers at him.

"You let it slip?" She asks in a dangerously calm voice. All this time I thought that Jeb was her boss, but for the first time I got the impression that Dr. Hastings was higher up than Jeb.

"I- I never-" Jeb sputters. He can't deny it, after all, and he doesn't know what Anne told me.

"I've let you work on this case too long, Batchelder," Dr. Hastings announces. "You're too attached. You've officially been demoted."

"Now wait just a minute," Jeb begins, flustered. The white coat will have none of it. She puts a hand up to stop his words and addresses her next ones to me.

"Max, you'll be taken back to your cage. Wait there for further instruction," Dr. Hastings orders, as if I had a choice.

"Wait," I call out, before I can lose my nerve. She turns, Jeb in tow. "Have you really captured Fang and Iggy?" I can't be sure that they'll tell me the truth, or even if they'll tell me anything at all. But I can't resist asking.

Dr. Hastings smiles at me, and I'm so taken aback that I lean away an inch. "We're gathering all our experiments to us and yet some have managed to consistently evade us," She says. It's not an answer, really, but I know what she's saying. Fang and Iggy, if nothing else, are safe.

* * *

><p><strong>Nudge's POV:<strong>

The building is shaking.

Max is still gone- has been gone for hours now.

She should have been back a long time ago.

I don't know what to think.

* * *

><p><strong>Gazzy's POV:<strong>

There are weird noises coming from outside our cage.

I don't know where we are- nobody has bothered explaining this stuff to me- but I'm pretty sure we're at the School.

I'm pretending to sleep, and Angel is doing the same thing beside me.

I would never admit is out loud, but **I'm scared.**

* * *

><p><strong>AN- So I totally had this written by yesterday, and I just..forgot to update? Sorry! Anyway, hope you like and all that. This story is coming to an end! I'm guessing about 5 more chapters or so...? Review, please!**


	42. Chapter 42

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Fang's POV:  
><strong>

"Just out of curiosity," Iggy asks me. "Why this building?"

"There aren't a lot of people in this one, so it's definitely not an office building. The few people who have walked out were wearing white lab coats so it's probably a lab building," I explain.

Iggy nods. He hesitates, then says, "Look, if things get out of hand in there, just turn invisible and get out. Don't play hero and stay with me- if you're out, even if I'm in, we have a better chance at survival."

I smile, slightly touched by Iggy's gesture, not that I would ever admit that to him. "Okay, but the point is to get captured, so I probably won't take you up on that."

He laughs. "Your choice," he says. "But if we're getting fed to starving sharks, I promise not to mind if you leave."

"I'll keep that in mind, Igs."

And then we both stop talking as if we have planned it. Without actually saying anything, we both know that it's time to crash into the building. I take a deep breath, and before I can regain some sanity, I tell Iggy, "Let's go."

Flying at something is hard. Instinctively, I want to swerve to avoid it, but I know I have to crash into it. For a brief second the thought that this might be reinforced glass occurs to me, but there are few substances that can withstand two 120 pound bird kids flying at it at 200 miles per hour. You do the physics, kid.

Sure enough, the glass shatters. It mostly falls inward, which can be tricky because we're going to be fighting inside. It actually looks like your typical office building, with a ton of cubicles and computers and leftover coffee mugs. Here's the catch- it's totally, eerily empty.

"Empty," I tell Iggy before he can ask. "And no alarm that I can tell of."

Iggy nods, taking it in stride. "Let's take the stairs down," he says. "And since we're in without them knowing, let's snoop and not get caught."

"Sounds good," I whisper, and then we stealthily walk towards the stairs. We run down the stairs. I can't help but think that the whole thing looks awfully sketchy for such a nice office building. Peeling paint, bugs in the corners, it's not exactly the epitome of cleanliness. Doesn't bother me, though. I have slept in worse places.

I peer through the door of the tenth floor. It, again, it totally empty from what I can see. This one is worse, though, because computer screens are still working and half eaten doughnuts lay on desks.

"It's like they've been evacuated," I mutter to Iggy, letting him know about how empty the place is.

"Is it Saturday?" He asks hopefully.

Shaking my head, I reply, "Nope. It's 10 o'clock on a Tuesday morning. Let's go down some more."

We climb a few more flights of stair, noticing that the 9th, 8th, and 7th floors are also all empty offices. Sixth floor, however, is the jackpot. It is white- the awful white I remember all too well from the school. The hallways, the walls, the metal instruments, everything is joyously and horrible familiar.

"This is it," I tell Iggy, who nods bravely.

"Yes it is, Fang dear," Says a voice behind me. I don't even bother turning around- I slam open the door and run into the building, Iggy at my heels. There are too many hallways to keep track of where I'm going, but I run through them without reason, making random turns and pushing past people at work.

I'm waiting for the whitecoat behind us to yell _stop them_ like they do in movies but she doesn't. Eventually I stop and turn around. I'm surrounded by cages, by creatures and children and who knows what else. They all look up at me with big eyes, wondering who I am to disturb the daily routine here at the School. As far as I can tell, we don't have any pursuers, so I let Iggy know what's going on and then crouch in front of this young boy with gossamer wings, too small to be anything but a nuisance.

"Do you know Max?" I ask him urgently. He blinks several times but doesn't respond. Iggy shoves me aside and kneels in front of the same boy's cage.

"Hi, I'm Iggy," He begins. "What's your name?"

"1074," The boy replies, which makes my blood boil. Of course. They aren't given names.

"Well, that won't do," Iggy says calmly. "What do you want your name to be?"

The boy shrugs. Iggy, obviously, doesn't see. "I'm blind, 1074," Iggy explains when the silence stretches on too long. "You have to talk for me to understand what's going on. Do you mind explaining what you look like to me?"

The boy nods. "I have brown hair and green eyes and wings on my back because I'm part dragonfly."

Iggy smiles, stretching his own wings out. The boy's face turns to one of awe, his mouth dropping open at the sight of Iggy's 14 foot wingspan and magnificent pale wings.

"I have wings too," Iggy says. "But they're probably a little bigger than yours. How old are you?"

"I'm 7," The boy says. "And if I had wings like yours, I'd fly away from this place."

Iggy laughs, drawing his wings back in. "We actually just flew into this place- two of our friends got captured. Have you seen them? They're two girls, one's my age and one's just a little younger. They have huge wings like me. "

He shakes his head. "I saw a blonde girl yesterday though," The boy tells Iggy. "She had wings too, big white ones, but they weren't as big as yours. Her brother was with her."

My heart sinks. "Angel and Gazzy," I whisper. "They've been captured too."

"Are you friends with them, too?" The boy asks. I almost hear a trace of jealousy in his voice. When Iggy nods, the boy has more to say. "I don't have any friends," He says mournfully. "How come you have so many?"

"Tell you what," Iggy offers patiently. "We're your friends. You helped us, right? So we're friends. We're going to help you get out of here. But first, I need you to tell us where you saw Angel and Gazzy. We'll grab them, and then come back for you."

"There. To the left. The second hallway down." The boy nods to gesture what he means and he actually nods to the right, but I can't blame him for getting confused.

"Thank you," I chime in for the first time since my initial attempt. I tug on Iggy's shirt and we start to run down to where Angel and Gazzy are.

"Wait!" The boy calls out after us. We both turn back. "Can my name be Derek?"

"Of course," Iggy shouts back. "Good to meet you, Derek! Thanks for helping us!"

We sprint down the hallway until we come to a cage where two blonde kids are sleeping, curled up into defensive balls. A wave of relief passes through me.

"Angel! Gazzy!" I yell, stopping in front of their cage. They startle and wake up immediately.

"Fang!" Angel exclaims, running over and trying to hug me through the bars.

Gazzy goes to Iggy first. "Iggy, man, hey!" He hugs Iggy, nods at me and then breaks down and hugs me too.

"We're going to get you both out of here. Do you know anything about where Max and Nudge are?" I ask.

"I talked to Max this morning," Gazzy tells me. "Her and Nudge are fine, but we're all going to die.

I really should be used to surprises by now, but Gazzy's statement makes my entire body go cold.

"What?"

"They're restarting the School, and destroying all of their old experiments. We're all slated for extermination in a few days. You both need to get out," Angel says calmly.

"Not without you," Iggy growls, tugging at the bars fruitlessly.

"Well, isn't that touching," A voice says. This time though, there's no running. The hallway ends in a few more feet. I turn to face the voice and see Jeb Batchelder standing with a group of whitecoats and Flyboys.

"Thank you for delivering yourselves to us, Fang and Iggy. You've saved us a lot of trouble," He continues. I desperately want to punch the silly smirk off his face.

"Count of three," I mutter to Iggy, which really means count of one. We take off sprinting at Jeb and his posse- it should actually be a piece of cake. But a metal cage falls into place around us, clattering. I push against the bars, but they're just as solid as any cage. I try running at them, but it makes no difference. The bars stay firmly rooted in place.

"And thank you for moving right underneath the cage," Jeb smiles smarmily at us. "Honestly, you all are so predictable."

"Just take us to Max and Nudge. All of us. If we're going to die, let us die together," Iggy pleads. The whole weak and defenseless act isn't going to fly with Jeb, though- he knows us too well.

"No, Max has caused enough trouble as it is. In two days, can you believe that she's not only annoyed me incessantly but also gotten me demoted two levels?"

Jeb's face is angry, but I can't help the smile that crosses my face. That's Max for you. Ruining evil people's plans.

"What is going on here?" A new voice asks. Jeb's face turns into a scowl as a middle aged lady comes up to us.

"Ah, the last two bird kids. Wonderful," She says. "Now we can continue with our plans. "

"Please," Angel speaks up for the first time. "Please just let us be together when we die."

Her voice is laced with _suggestion_, but nobody else seems to realize that. Well, nobody except Jeb.

"Don't listen to her, Miranda! She's using her powers on you!" He warns.

The whitecoat- Miranda- waves him off. "Jeb, honestly. All I see is a little girl wanting to be with her friends."

Get this- she turns to Angel and literally coos at her. "Don't worry, little one. We'll arrange it."

I want to jump up and down, to high five Iggy and hug Angel, but I manage to keep my self composed.

"Very soon, you'll wish you had listened to me," Jeb informs Miranda.

She scowls at him. "You are so annoying, Jeb. First you help them find each other and then you scream at little girls and no you're back talking to me. You are very close to being fired, Jeb. Very close. None of us have forgotten your first mistake- you've always been so weird when it comes to these bird kids."

Jeb sputters but she just pushes him out of the room. I want to cheer for her, but I still don't like her very much.

"We're going to let you out of your cages now and escort you to the same area as Maximum and Nudge. If you try anything, we don't mind injecting this into you." She holds up a shot with blue liquid in it.

"It will paralyze you for 48 hours- just long enough for you to die."

We all nod our compliance and the Flyboys grab my arms and tie my feet and wings together. I awkwardly shuffle along by them, thrilled that we'll all finally be together and nervous because I can't think of how we'll escape this one.

We pass Derek. He looks grief struck at the fact that we too were captured. I try to tell him that it's okay with my eyes, mouthing the words _We'll still come get you._ He's a cute kid. It makes me so mad that there are millions like him that we can't rescue. I don't even know what we're going to do if we do rescue Derek. He can't join our Flock, not without wings like us, but we can't just turn him out on the street.

What we'll do after we rescues Derek is the least of my worries, though. We have to first get out of this place- our death date is literally tomorrow, and I don't know what to do.

My thoughts are interrupted by a blur of blonde and brown barreling into me. I clutch Max as hard as I can, and then I pull away and kiss her.

And just for a moment, I know there's no way that I'm going to die. Not when I have Max and the Flock to live for.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Yaay for Fang being sappy! Anyway, they're all united now, and we've got a final showdown coming up! Three more chapters! For the epilogue, which is going to be chapter 45, I want to challenge myself, so I need you all to help me out. Drop a review with any one word, and I'll try to include it in the epilogue. If you give me a proper noun, I might not use it, but I really will try my best to use all of them! They need to be submitted by next friday because I'm going to get to work writing. So review away, lovely readers :]**


	43. Chapter 43

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

"Oh my god," I breathe, pulling away from Fang's kiss and looking him up and down with concern. "You've been captured. Are you okay?"

"Thanks for the love, Max," Iggy interrupts from beside Fang. I drop Fang's hands and then squeeze Iggy into a giant hug, bringing Gazzy into it with my other hand. Angel waits patiently until we pull apart to run into my open arms.

"Are you all okay? Is anyone hurt?" I ask repeatedly. I scan everyone up and down while Nudge takes her turn hugging all of them but nobody seems injured.

"We're fine," Gazzy tells us. "Fang and Iggy got captured trying to rescue us, but Angel used her powers to _suggest_ to them that we all be together."

"Good thinking," I nod appreciatively at Angel. "Jeb just let that happen?"

"No, he tried to stop us, but this other white coat lady, Miranda or something, she blew him off and let us share a cage," Explains Iggy.

I snort. "Dr. Hastings. She's not the smartest of the bunch."

"What do you mean?" Angel asks me. Nudge giggles behind me because she already knows the events of the past few days.

I take a few minutes to catch everyone else up, telling them all about the tests and then the question answering session, ending with what had just happened hours ago. "So after the questions, they tried to wipe my memory again, but it didn't work. I guess that was their plan all along- to wipe my memory after they answered my question, so that they could still have their knowledge but I would be stripped of mine. Anyways, it didn't work, and I blamed Jeb for us finding Angel, so now Hastings doesn't trust him. Our biggest problem is that we're getting put in some sort of 'Hunter's Arena," they called it."

"We can do anything now that we're together," Nudge proclaims. It's slightly childish of her, but I find myself nodding.

"Yeah sweetie," I tell her, lies spilling out of my mouth easily. "Anything we need to."

"Let me tell you about what Fang and I have been up to," Iggy begins, distracting the younger three from the situation at hand. I graze my fingers over his to show my gratitude.

And then Fang and I exchange a look of desperation. Because only he and I know exactly how wrong Nudge's statement is.

* * *

><p>The rattling of the cage doors wakes me up. My eyes shoot open immediately and I crouch into a defensive position in a matter of milliseconds. But standing at the door is no whitecoat- it's just a little boy.<p>

"Hi," He says softly. "I used to be 1074, but your friends said I could be Derek if I wanted to."

So this was the kid that Iggy had told us about. When he shifts, I see the tiny wings perched on his back, too small to be anything but decoration.

"Hi, Derek," I greet him, lowering my defenses and partway relaxing. "I'm Max. And you already know Fang and Iggy." I jerk my head at the two boys who are also up and alert.

Derek waves at the two of them too. I wait for him to say something, but when he doesn't, I decide to just ask.

"What's up? Why are you here?"

"Dr. Jeb brought me here," Derek tells me and before I can move, or talk or even think about what that means, Derek falls to the ground, suddenly stiff. I stand in shock, not moving. Fang, on the other hand, completely loses it.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM?" He screams, running to Derek and grabbing his hand through the bars of our prison. He puts his fingers on a few vital pulse points desperately, but even before he crumples angrily I know exactly what they've done to Derek.

Killed him.

Jeb walks into our line of vision with a hint of a smile on his ugly face. When Fang catches sight of him, the look on his face can only be described at pure hatred. I don't think I've ever seen so much hate in a look.

"Really Fang, it's unlike you to lose it like that. The emotional outbursts really don't suit you. I expected it from Maximum, but you?" Jeb leers at us, openly grinning now.

"What do you get by killing a little boy?" Iggy spits at Jeb, understanding the situation even without sight.

Jeb furrows his brow at me, apparently surprised. "You really don't know? It was a demonstration. What did you think the Hunter's Arena was? This is how we will kill each and every one of you." He holds up a tranquilizer gun, only I know that the dart inside are tipped with something much stronger than tranquilizer.

"You're a monster," I tell Jeb, my voice strong and filled with anger.

Jeb holds my gaze, not embarrassed or abashed or even scared. "No, Maximum. It was quick and painless. Easier than falling asleep. I'm no monster."

"What are you going to do, line us up and pick us off one by one? Practice your sharpshooting skills?" Gazzy's voice has such venom in it that I'm taken aback. I haven't known Gazzy for long, especially with my lack of memories, but I would not though of him to have such anger. It made me sad that such a young boy even knew how to talk so viciously, or ever needed to.

Jeb looks at Gazzy but doesn't reply, which only means that yes, that is exactly what they will do.

"Go away," Nudge orders Jeb. "You carry the stench of betrayal with you."

Any other time and I might have cracked a joke about Nudge watching too much Lord of the Rings but this was not the time for it. I watch Jeb's retreating figure drag Derek's body away and shoot him in my head to make myself feel better.

_Bang. Bang. Bang._

* * *

><p>"Can't sleep?" Fang's voice rises up over the darkness and stillness. I hadn't realized that anybody was awake, but who could sleep after watching an innocent child get murdered?<p>

I shake my head, pushing myself upright. I lean against the wall. "No," I answer simply.

Fang makes his way over to me until he's sitting right next to me and our knees are touching.

"He didn't deserve to die," Fang says. His voice is a little thicker than normal.

"Does anybody?" I ask abruptly. I'm not trying to make a huge philosophical statement- I'm only referring to our current situation. We don't deserve to die, either. I've lied and stolen and even killed, but I didn't think I deserved to die. But maybe it was hypocritical of me to say that when I also believed that no one had the right to play God and choose who lived and who died.

I lean into Fang, resting my head on his chest. He doesn't reply, but his steady breathing calms me. I wait a few more minutes before I speak again. I'm almost asleep.

"If you, Iggy and I make a circle around the younger three, the whitecoats might not be able to shoot them. If we just buy them some time, they might escape."

Fang nods, which is a movement I can feel with my head. A ghost of smile plays along my lips.

"I love you," I tell him. Maybe it's kind of cheesy to say that in the face of death, but I didn't want to die without making sure he knew. "You know that, right?"

"Of course," Fang says, putting his arms around me and drawing me closer. He buries his face in my neck and yet his reply is crystal clear. "I love you too. More than anything."

I look up and kiss him hard on the lips. He responds easily, moving his lips against mine entrancingly. But even kissing Fang, one of my favorite things to do ever in this world, cannot take me away from this place. His lips don't taste the same, and I can feel the cold sting of hospital air around me.

Sighing, I pull away, but remain in his embrace. I listen to his breathing again, which calms me down enough to fall into a restless sleep. As gloomy as it sounds, it just might be my last.

* * *

><p>"As touching as this scene is, you both might really want to get up," Iggy's voice cuts into my sleep. It has been a night of interruptions, but I force myself up one more time. I'm still sitting next to Fang, our legs interwoven and hands clasped as we literally snuggled into each other and slept. I scoot a few inches away, but I'm too detached to blush or care.<p>

"What's up?" I ask everyone, noting the wide eyes and smiles around me. I mainly address my question at Iggy, though, throwing in a hint of sassiness at being woken up. It's still dark, which probably means that it's still night time.

"I've been experimenting with it all night," Angel begins, her face splitting into a grin. "And I think that I can project into a ton of people's minds at once again."

"Again?" I question, hating that I still didn't remember my past.

"A few years ago, we were split up, and you three got captured by Itex," Fang explains. "You were tossed into this gladiatorial style arena and Angel got you all out by controlling all the experiments to fight against Itex."

I nod, understanding. "But you lost your powers along with your memories," I say, thinking back to last night (this night?) when we had told each other everything there was to know about our time apart.

"Sort of," Angel contradicts. "I could still mind read, but my projecting and controlling was thrown off."

"You're sure you can do it now, though?" Nudge asks.

Angel nods hesitantly. "I think so, yeah."

However broken up, the hours of sleep have recharged me. My mind is racing a mile a minute working with all this new information, and all at once, it comes to me.

A plan.

"Alright," I say, rubbing my hands together like they do on TV. "Here's what we'll do…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Thank you guys so much for all the words! Although, some of you gave me words I'm not sure how to fit in at all. Daguerreotype? Crossfade? Eh, I'll try. I'm still accepting words until the end of today, whatever that is in eastern time, so shoot if you have another thing to challenge me with! **

**And I hope you liked this chapter! There are only two more left, which makes me : ( because I love this story and all of you! It's a milestone to be proud of, though, and I'm honored that you read this :]**


	44. Chapter 44

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

It wasn't really silence.

Silence was supposed to be calming, or at the very least quiet. It didn't make sense when I put it like this, but the silence was not quiet. I think I will rename this type of silence to SILENCE and whenever I say SILENCE that is what I mean.

We all sat there in SILENCE. Even Nudge didn't make a sound, although I could practically hear her brain whirring, trying to think of something to say. If I knew Nudge at all, she was trying to think of something Hallmark-y, something awfully encouraging and cheesy. Unluckily for us, Hallmark didn't regularly make happy death day cards.

It's too bad. I feel like that would be a good job for me. _I'm sorry, but you are going to die,_ I'd write. _Use your last moments wisely- if you cannot be remembered by many, at least be remembered by one._

Actually, never mind. This is why I didn't write greeting cards. Maybe I should just stick to my regular job. God knows being a crazy mutant bird kid was a hectic job.

But my job had finally taken a turn in the right direction- I finally had a plan, and we weren't facing our future like sitting ducks.

"I hate this," Nudge blurts suddenly, breaking the SILENCE.

"The silence? Or the anticipation?" Gazzy asks her.

She sighs loudly. "Both, I guess."

"You don't have much longer to wait," Iggy says, gesturing to the hallway. I strain my ears to listen and sure enough, I hear the ugly clack of hospital shoes coming towards us.

"Look asleep," I command my Flock. We curl up into sideways positions for obvious reasons, and close our eyes and even our breathing. I keep my eyes open the longest, making sure everyone else looks believable. Nudge, check. Iggy, check. Gazzy and Angel, check. Fang, ch- wait a second. Not check.

Dark eyes stare at me, amused. I scowl at him and twitch my eye in a way that only he would understand. Basically, I'm telling him to hurry up and shut his eyes so that he looks asleep. After a wink, he does as I ask, and then I close my eyes too.

"Wake up, generation A7," orders an unfamiliar voice. I open my eyes slowly, the way I think normal people do. This whitecoat is staring at us all with such a superior expression, with such a you-are-a-roach-on-the-bottom-of-my-shoe look that I want to punch it off his mismatched face.

But I restrain myself. Fang, as if he knows exactly what I am thinking, bits his lip to suppress a smile.

Obediently, we follow the rude whitecoat out of our cage and down the many pathways. Normally, we'd be sassy and annoying and never complacent- but I have given everyone strict orders to behave until I say so. Then we'd wreak mass havoc- it was a talent of ours.

Instead of to a dungeon, or hanging tree, we are brought into a small white room. There are a few people staring at computers, typing frantically away as other people dictate to them. When we walk in, though, the room becomes entirely silent. One awkward typist continues typing one word too long, and the clack of the keyboard is the only sound for a few moments.

And then, because my life is my personal horror movie, my favorite person walks through the other door, beaming at us.

"Maximum," Jeb greets. "Fang. Iggy, Nudge. Gazzy, Angel. Welcome. I'm so glad to see you once more."

"No, you're not," Gazzy mutters. I gently step on his toes to tell him to cool it.

Jeb ignores this. "Before your final test, we have a questionnaire for you."

It's very hypocritical of me to start sassing away right after telling Gazzy off for it. But this is me we're talking about. I can't resist!

"Oh, really?" I begin heatedly. "Am I rating my time spent here? Filing a complaint, or suggesting how the service could be improved?"

Jeb gives me a disapproving look like I've just drank all of the milk in the house and now everybody else wants some, too.

"You may begin," Jeb says to the whitecoats. One steps forward. I recognize her as the leader by the red star on her shirt.

"Please list your names and ages," She intones. Nobody in my Flock says a word- they're waiting for me. I make a split second decision and reply:

"Maximum Ride, 17," I tell her. Fang goes next.

"Fang, 17."

"Iggy, 17."

"Nudge Monique Ride, 14."

"Gazzy, 11."

"Angel, 9."

"Thank you," the lady replies. She flips a few pages in her notebooks, and then asks another question. "What is the strongest thing you've ever done?"

I'm done playing by their game. Even if there's nothing to gain from it, I'm going to leave them with a stunning last impression, and it isn't going to be nice and kind, that's for sure.

"I kept a straight face while talking to Fang as Gazzy and Angel tie-dyed his shirt pink one time," I tell the lady seriously. Of course, the incident is made up, because I don't have memories of the Flock together before we were separated. It's not like the lady will know that, though.

She flashes me a disapproving look before turning to the rest of my Flock. I resist the urge to snort- as if they're going to give her any more time of day than I did.

"Ooo!" Nudge chirps suddenly. "One time, I was getting my eyebrows waxed, and it was my first time, and man! Have you ever done it?" She interrupts herself to peer closely at the white coat's forehead. The lady looks really taken aback.

"Obviously not," Nudge continues, "But it really hurts. I had to be really strong."

Jeb steps in. "Don't bother doing it this way," He shoots me a look that would kill puppies. He suddenly grabs Angel as if to choke her, but she round house kicks him hard enough that he staggers several feet backward, hunched over. I don't bother hiding my smile.

"Let's just take them in," Jeb mutters, rubbing his stomach. The smile falls off my face. Yeah, we had a plan, but it was so dangerous. So risky. And it wasn't my best plan, either. It had a lot of holes to it. And it was all based on one piece of information I had heard and remembered- I had to hope that what I heard was the truth.

Two Flyboys come up to me and grab my arms. Two swift punches later, they're both knocked to the ground while I pick invisible things out from under my nails.

"Is this necessary, Maximum? We have hundreds of Flyboys, not to mention an array of other creatures at our disposal. You can't beat them all." Jeb motions as if to grab me, but jerks back, probably remember Angel.

"Then I will at least have beaten some, wouldn't I?" I ask, but I let the next pair of Flyboys hold me and march me once again through the confusing maze.

"So," I begin conversationally, trying to goad Jeb into telling me more. "Where do the man eating lions fit into all of this? Do you have invisible cats, too?"

"Every single one of our experiments is being retired, Maximum," Jeb replies hesitantly, unsure of what I might do with this information.

I refuse to let it show on my face, but a feeling of relief courses through me. Maybe our plan isn't that far fetched after all.

We come to a door that isn't marked in any way, but it has a window that shows a deep green meadow ahead. The sky is covered with clouds, but not in an ominous way. I almost whimper- how long has it been since I've been outside? Suddenly, I consider just flying away. I could easily escape the clutches of two Flyboys, and we could be out of here before they called for help.

Angel reads my mind.

**Should we?** She thinks to me.

I so desperately want to say yes. I want us to just get out of here, and get far away where we can all just be together and happy.

But I can't be that selfish.

**No.**I think back. **There are too many like Derek.**

I stiffen at the thought of just how many innocents that the white coats plan on mass murdering today.

Jeb smiles a sickeningly wicked grin. "You won't escape. There are hundreds we are going to kill today, and you are holding on to a stupid fantasy that you will be the heroes once again, and that you will save them all somehow. You are so stupid."

"I'm sorry," Iggy starts heatedly. "That I still have a heart. You are sick bastard, and there is nothing you or I could do to change that. Your karma will catch up to you one day, and I don't hope for your death. I hope you will suffer through a life that is a hundred times more painful than what you have put all of us 'experiments' through." Iggy's mouth twists around the word experiments so cruelly that even I am stunned into silence.

He's not finished, though. "You'd deserve it." Iggy looks as if he's teetering on the edge of saying more, but he doesn't.

All of our rudeness to Jeb so far he has taken in stride, but Iggy's words seem to actually hit him hard. He gestures to the flyboys to start tying our wings together, which they do. I make sure to whack the flyboy tying mine together several times with my down feathers. He doesn't react, but ties a blindfold across my eyes instead. I try to flex my facial muscles but he hits me in the gut, which makes me return my face to normal.

Jeb stays silent through out this ordeal, and then opens the door. The wind and fresh air hits me like a bus. I breathe deeply, savoring the coolness on my face, smelling the aroma of grass and rain and everything else beautiful in this world. Realizing that it is Fang beside me and that he is close enough to touch, I take his hand.

He squeezes my hand gently, as if to share my happiness. We walk across the meadow slowly, and I feel the dew on the grass under my feet. It's still very early in the morning- even with the blindfold on, I can tell that it's fairly dark outside. I shouldn't be so complacent, but my only thought is that this isn't such a bad place to die.

"What is this place? Are we not in California? Isn't it supposed to be desert?" Angel asks. As soon as she says it, I think of it, too. Fang and Iggy had flown to freaking Death Valley, home of sand and heat and dust. This was nothing like that.

"Simulation?" Nudge gasps, horrified.

"Not quite," Jeb replies, speaking up for the first time in a long time. We wait, but he doesn't elaborate.

"So what is it, Jeb? You couldn't have moved us to a different facility- I was up all night." I tell him.

Silence. I'm just about to turn away in disgust when Jeb finally answers.

"We made this for you. It stretches around for about a mile, but after that, you're still in the middle of desert."

I'm oddly touched and extremely pissed at the same time. "You think letting me die in my favorite environment is going to pardon you any, Jeb?" I snap at him."It's not."

Jeb's sorrow is evident in his tone, but I can't see his face so I can't tell how genuine it is. The flyboys rip the rope off of our wings and take off our blindfolds. I open my eyes and gasp in horror.

We are in a meadow.

We are not alone in the said meadow.

Thousands of eyes stare at us, the only experiments talking and resisting. Thousands of faces, child like and mutated stare at me. My blood literally begins to boil. There is a huge glass dome of sorts containing us in, and the Flyboy have already stepped out of it and closed it up- we were the last to enter this killing chamber.

In the two seconds it takes me to think of all this, chaos erupts. The silence shatters abruptly, now filled with talking and worse- growling, squealing, noises that only animals should make.

"Now!" I scream to my Flock over the noise. We fly to the top and edges of the glass dome, trying to break out, but the strength of all six of combined isn't making a mark on the glass.

Suddenly, a loud crack shuts everybody up again. Movement stops. It is silent again. It is the calm before the storm.

All at once, I realize what has happened- one boy is lying face first on the ground, motionless- he is dead. The massacre has started.

"Angel!" Fang orders. "Get in the middle of the group!"

He is right- she is the key for the survival of all of us, and since we don't know where the shots are coming from, we have no way to guarding her. Muscling our way through the crowd, I pull Angel with me until we're all surrounded by panicked experiments. Nobody pays us any attention, which I glad for.

"Concentrate," I tell Angel, crouching so that I'm just barely below eye level with her. "Are they here?"

_Crack. Crack. Crack_. The shots are still coming, faster and more precisely now. Angel's eyes go wide with fear, then steely with determination. She closes her eyes.

"They're here," she replies, and I shake with relief again.

"Okay," I say, to her and everybody else. "We can't stay in the same spot very long- split into pairs of twos and try to calm everybody down. We need to make a densely packed circle for this to work- get everyone to listen to you, but try not to attract too much attention to yourselves. Nudge- you're with Angel. Make sure she has whatever she needs and that nobody bothers her. Don't let her get hit."

"Gazzy, Iggy, go left. Scream, bully, do whatever you have to make people listen to you." I swallow, hating to say this next part but knowing that I have to. "Put the ones that are least human on the outside. Fang, you and I need to go right. Everybody good?"

The group collectively nods, and I feel oddly jittery. We've been in near death situations before, but this seems different somehow. I put my fist in the center, but it feels too absolute. Still, we stack and tap and then go our separate ways.

Fang slips his hand into mine as we run through the crowd. People are giving us a wide berth, which I don't like. It will be far too easy for the scientist snipers to pick us off.

"For a tight circle!" I yell. "It'll be harder for them to shoot!"

Everybody stares in fear, incomprehension.

"HEY!" I scream at the top of my lungs. "Freaking get tighter!"

Fang whips out his wings, and all 14 feet of their dark beauty stuns the cluster of people around us into silence. "Do what she says," He orders simply, and they start to follow our instruction. We repeat the process and it seems to be working, the pack of people is getting more condense, shots are firing but the _crack _is coming less often. I itch to mentally connect with Angel, but I know she's busier, has more important things to do than talk to me- we can't afford to distract her.

"Angel," I whisper at Fang. My eyes probably look stricken, because he takes a moment to draw me close.

"She'll be okay. We got to do our job, just like she has to do hers," He comforts. Then we pull apart and keep running- there is no time to waste.

Suddenly, I hear a loud growl that makes me jump. A huge, golden lion comes toward me from out of the crowd. I stand my ground, praying that Angel's mind control has worked and these creatures don't want to eat us.

The lion growls at me again, but makes no motion to tear at my flesh. Not daring to believe it, I take a step closer, and then another until I'm not even a foot away from the lion.

"Go," I tell it. The lion roars so loudly my ears ring, but it sprints off to the edge of the circle and I sink to the ground.

Fang is by my side in an instant. He doesn't say anything, but I can sense the concern coming off of him in waves.

"I'm okay. I just can't believe it. It might work." I stand up, taking Fang's hand in mine.

I want to go back to Angel, but I tell the crowd one more thing. They are silent in awe and in fear.

"Spread the word," I try to project my voice. "The lions will make the outer ring of the circle- the rest of need to form as dense of a circle as we can- they can't kill us then- their shots won't reach us."

Another _crack_ resounds jarringly, very close to where I am now. But as if to prove my point, nobody keels over, nobody dies. Maybe the shot simply missed, but my point has gotten across. Everybody begins muttering amongst themselves, squishing tighter and tighter into each other.

It's worse than a middle school dance, the sweat and closeness of bodies, but it just might be the key to our survival. Without letting go of Fang's hand, I push my way through the crowd, my sense of direction leading me to the spot where we left Angel.

Sure enough, I see her small frame and Nudge's dark curls within minutes, and as soon as I get there I pull her into a giant hug.

"You did it," I whisper to her. She smiles at me, obviously exhausted.

Knowing I want to know the details, she begins to talk. Iggy and Gazzy join all of us and I high five both of them while listening to Angel's story.

"I got into their minds easily- there were over 50 of them, and actually really nice. Once I told them they weren't allowed to eat people, it was simple to get them to go to the outside of the circle. But Max, are they going to die?" There is a child-like innocence to her voice, and I allow the suspicion to enter my own mind.

Were we even doing the right thing? Just earlier, when Jeb killed Derek, I'd raged about how nobody was allowed to play God. And here I was now, practically condemning the lions and choosing which experiments lived.

Fang, of course, reads my mind without a power. "You did the only thing you could, Max. 50 of them for a thousand of us isn't a bad price to pay."

I nod, not really believing him but not allowing myself to dwell on that fact now.

"What about the scientists, Angel? Can you read their minds?"

She shakes her head. "Something about the glass dome isn't letting me project outside of it at all."

I make a split second decision. "I'm flying up," I say. I know this will escalate into a debate, so before anybody can argue with me, I jump up in the air, trying to snap my wings out. It's painful, but I manage to do it and get high.

The sight from above is spectacular- a ring of gold protects a multicolored circle, and I see and hear shots hit the lions but they don't fall. When I fly closer to see what is going on, I realize that the dart has too small of an amount of poison in it to kill such large lions so easily. They would die, that was for sure, but it would take hundreds of shots to actually penetrate their hides and put enough poison into their bloodstream. I fly down immediately, suddenly remembering that I was practically flashing a neon sign saying KILL ME NOW by flying so high so obviously. I hear several cracks which make me dive at a sharp angle, but there isn't room for me to land to I painfully pull myself upward again.

I hear another _crack_ and finally spot my Flock, diving down to where they have created a space for me to touch down. Before I land, however, I feel a sharp pain in my left wing. Instead of flying down smoothly, I fall into an ungraceful heap on the meadow floor.

"Max!" Nudge shouts, helping me up.

"I'm okay," I say through gritted teeth. "It barely clipped my wing."

It wasn't the truth, but my wing was the last thing I wanted to talk about. I change the subject quickly, telling everybody what I saw at the top.

"So we're at a stalemate, practically," pronounces Gazzy.

"No," I disagree, smiling. "How many bullets do you think those wimpy scientists have? How much longer do you think they can shoot?"

For it had easily been over an hour that we were in this dome. And I didn't think the scientists would leave us here to slowly die. They needed us to die quickly and without a fuss.

"So we wait it out?" Iggy asks.

I nod. And so we do.

What seems like hours later, an announcements jars me out my almost sleep. Nudge, who had been leaning on me, startles as well. There is complete silence in the dome.

"_ATTENTION. WE WILL BE OPENING THE DOME. THEN, YOU WILL EACH BE LED BACK TO YOUR RESPECTIVE CAGES. DO NOT THINK THIS PLOTTING HAS STOPPED YOUR RETIRATION. THANK YOU."_

I don't know what kind of microphone they used to make the crackly voice so loud, but I exchange grins with my Flock. The door to the glass dome slowly slides open, squeaking, and then there is bedlam at once. People push each other out of the way trying to get out, running, sprinting. The first few get hit with shots that kill them anyway, but the scientists must truly be out of artillery because they do nothing to stop us all from pouring out the dome.

Most of the kids can't fly, but I see then running away, shaking off Flyboys and sprinting. Others that I see are too scared to do anything, and are being led back into the building.

I fly above the heads of the kids so that I'm one of the first ones out, and the Flock follows suit. Moving in a zigzag pattern to avoid getting shot, we fly a mile away, back into the desert, the inescapable heat.

I group hug everybody so tight that it almost feels like we're back in the dome, trying to survive. But we're not.

We're alive.

And I'm more grateful than ever for it.

"We have to go back," Fang says. He's right, of course. We left the place in chaos. At very least, we need it blow it up. The whole time, it had never been about us surviving. It had been about stopping the monstrosity that was occurring. Jeb had laughed in our faces and called us wannabe heroes for it, but Iggy was right. We had hearts. It was what set us apart from the scientists.

I sigh, and then get up slowly. "Alright guys," I say, clapping my hands together. "We've got some work to do."

* * *

><p>The place when we got back looked spick and span. There was no dome in sight, no bodies or kids left- to the rest of the world, who were now waking up and coming to work, there was not a single piece of evidence to suggest a battle or massacre or prison.<p>

I'll give this much to the scientists- they sure knew how to clean up.

"You have your bombs, Ig?" I ask. Iggy and Gazzy had created explosives using materials nobody else understood, but we had them ready all the same.

"Yup," he answers proudly.

"Wait for my signal," I remind him. There were still workers inside my prison, people with no idea what was going on. Not to mention the kids who hadn't gotten away quickly enough.

He nods. I look at Angel and Nudge. "You guys remember your jobs?"

Nudge shoots me an exasperated look. "How could we not, Max, with you reminding us every two minutes?"

I shrug mildly. "No need for sass. I was just checking."

This plan was simple, and made a lot more sense. Pull the fire alarm. Get the building evacuated. Blow it up. Possibly find and kidnap/hurt/maim Jeb, Dr. Hastings and any other officials. I hated them, but I didn't know if I could kill them. I just needed to scare them badly enough that they would never do what they had done to us ever again. No more mutants. No more messing with DNA.

"Nudge, Angel, go," I order. They hurry into the building and within minutes, we hear the blare of a fire alarm. People come streaming out of the building like ants out of an ant mound.

I take a moment to study them. The lady who had only put eyeliner on one eye before she rushed out. The man who spilled coffee on himself. How could they come to work everyday and not even realize what went on above them?

"Max?" Fang asks me softly. I look at him.

"We should do it now," He suggests.

Biting my lip, I make on of those decisions I'm famous for. "Hold on," I tell him, and then fly into the building, crashing through a window. I hear him call my name after me but it's too late, I've made up my mind and I'm filled with a passion that could probably set the world on fire.

The office is empty, left in a stage of obvious hurried exit from the fire alarm. But if I knew Jeb, he would stay holed up in his office, too fancy to go through even routine fire drills. His cockiness was so predictable.

When I burst into his office, he is sitting at his desk with his head in his hands.

"Jeb," I say evenly, announcing my presence. He looks up at me sadly.

"Why are you here, Maximum?" He asks me. "You've already destroyed everything I've worked for."

I shake my head. "Not really. I've stopped you from murdering a thousand kids. But what's to stop you from doing it all over again?"

"And if I told you I've learned my lesson?"

"I wouldn't believe you."

Jeb exhales, and then responds. "So kill me. It's what you came to do, isn't it?"

I bite my lip. "I don't know. If killing you would really stop it, I think I would. But I don't think that's the answer. So what if you're dead? Dr. Hastings would do it again in a heartbeat. "

"You can't squash the idea forever, Max. It will always come back to somebody."

"I know," I tell him. "I'm just doing my best."

"Why, Max? Isn't it enough? You're a hero! You've rescued 1000 kids, and your family survived. Why do you push it?"

"I've never done any of this to try to be a hero, Jeb. I'm just trying to do the right thing." Bored with talking to him, I lean over and cock my wrist back before slamming it as hard as I can into his face. Jeb is knocked out immediately from the pain. I smile. It may not have solved anything, but it sure was satisfying.

I grab Jeb by the scruff and pull him out of the building, dropping him in an unceremonious heap outside. Then I fly back to where my Flock is, including Angel and Nudge, who have come back from their little fire alarm pulling expedition.

"It's time," I tell Iggy and Gazzy. "Burn this place to the ground."

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Phew! Was that a long chapter or what? It took me four hours, guys- be honored that I care so much about you all. With that said, thank you all for your continued support, of course. ****It would really make my day if review :]**


	45. Chapter 45

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Max's POV:**

"You're sure, Angel?" I ask her. It's a pretty big risk to take, but I'm just sick and tired of being this way.

"Yes," She replies easily. "Don't worry, Max."

But I do. Because I'm Max, and I'm sometimes the mommy and always the leader, and it's my job to worry. Nodding at her, I lie down on the grass and close my eyes. I try to make my mind as blank as I can. Pushing away thoughts of everything that had just happened, of everything that we had just accomplished, I picture a white wall.

I feel Angel's presence the minute she enters my mind. Inwardly, I flinch- having someone else dig around in your thoughts in no fun.

"Relax, Max. Make your mind empty," I hear Angel tell me faintly. Someone's hand slips into mine. It's too big and rough to be Angel's, and I realize that it's probably Fang. I squeeze it once and then try to not think about him, either. That would make my mind far from empty.

Angel's still poking and prodding around in my head. It's hard to describe- it's as if someone is tickling you, but you aren't ticklish. And the tickling is inside you. I gasp as she pulls out a memory of me and Nudge talking.

"Oops," Angel says, more to herself than anything. She lets go of that memory and continues rifling through my brain. And than she stops.

"What?" I ask, curious. I open my eyes, which take a second to adjust to the light. The meadow is brightly bathed in sunlight, what with it being mid morning and all. There is the faint melody of birds chirping in the background. I first see Angel's blond curls, and then Fang's dark eyes.

"There's literally a box in your mind," She tells me. "And it's locked. And I think I can bust it open, but it might hurt."

"There's a box in my head?" I ask her incredulously.

She giggles. "A mental block that you're subconsciously putting around your old memories, yes. "

"Go for it," I breathe, excited. It might actually be happening- I might actually get all my memories back.

She nods, and I close my eyes again. Suddenly, I realize exactly what Angel is talking about. I try to visualize the 'box,' but it evades me like a butterfly.

And then all at once, my head splits open. The pain is similar to how I had felt when the Voice first came to me in the sewers of New York. Shaking, I bit my lip to make sure I don't scream. My wing, which was still painfully throbbing, seems to explode. But just as quickly as it had come, the pain fades.

But my mind is not empty anymore.

_"We will call you Little One," the leader said, obviously deciding to dispense with the whole confusing name thing._

_"Okay," said Angel agreeably. "I'll call you Guy in a White Lab Coat." He frowned._

_"That can be his Indian name," I suggested._

And:

"_I choose __you__," he said very softly, "__Max__."_

_Then his hard, rough hand tenderly cupped my chin, and suddenly his mouth was on mine, and every synapse in my brain shorted out._

_We had kissed a couple of times before, but this was different. This time, I squelched my immediate, overwhelming desire to run away screaming. I closed my eyes and put my arms around him despite my fear. Then somehow we slid sideways so we were lying in the cool sand. I was holding him fiercely, and he was kissing me fiercely, and it was...just so, so intensely __good__. Once I got past my usual, gut-wrenching terror, there was a long, sweet slide into mindlessness, when all I felt was Fang, and all I heard was his breathing, and all I could think was "Oh, God, I want to do this __all the time."_

_And:_

'_It seems to be working, sir,' reported Lieutenant Youngville, poking her head into the map room. 'The technique-'_

_'The Gaz-Ig-Nart technique!' Iggy corrected._

_'Yes, the Gaz-Ig-Nart technique seems to be neutralizing the enemy,' the lieutenant finished._

And:

_"I'm brilliant! I'm a genus! I could blow up the whole world!" Gazzy laughed._

_I raised my eyebrows ._

_"Not that I __want__ to of course" Gazzy said and gave a little cough._

And one thing becomes totally, absolutely clear to me. I have my memories back. And nothing is better off forgotten.

* * *

><p><em>-Two Weeks Later—<em>

"Let's go, Max!" Nudge shouts, gesturing wildly at me from her spot on the Ferris wheel. The empty, closed off to normal people carnival might look creepy, but the starry night and cool breeze make is pleasant for me. "Hurry up! This is fantastic!"

"Nudge," I tell her. "If I get on, too, who is going to turn the ride on?"

Nudge opens her mouth in an o. "Well turn it on, then!" She chirps, practically bouncing from excitement. Nobody else notices, but I see a dark figure slip off of the empty Ferris wheel, and when I turn it on only 4 flying mutant kids happen to be riding it.

I can't help but laugh at my Flock's enthusiasm. After all, I had plenty of things to be happy for. I mean, we had blown Itex up. There was a lab-sized crater in the middle of Death Valley. Let Jeb explain that to the authorities.

Nope, Jeb didn't die. I guess I had been debating about it the entire time. But after cursing and fighting scientists because they tried to take our lives and control them, did I have any right to decide who got to live and who got to die? Don't worry; I'm not going soft on you. In the havoc that followed the explosion, I killed my fair share of Flyboys and mutants. But I just couldn't kill Jeb myself. By tossing him right next to the place we blew up moments later, I was trying to give him a chance, trying to make it fair and square. Believe me, it was quite a display of equanimity.

It's more than he ever did for us. It's more than he deserves. But I think we established who the better person is a long time ago.

I hear Fang breathe behind me. I used to never notice him, and get annoyed when he startled me, but now I was on hyper alert. It was as if my body perked up whenever it realized he was around.

I guess that means that what Fang and I have is really love. Not the romantic, lets skip into the sunset type love, but the kind of love where you don't know how much time you have together. We weren't just foisting something fake. What we had wasn't just persiflage.

"Let's leave," Fang suggest, breaking the silence.

I am confused. "What? Where?"

He smiles, as if mocking me. "Not anything drastic- I mean let's go off for a little, just you and I."

"Oh," I say, comprehension dawning on me. "Okay." I stop the Ferris wheel and yell at my Flock to go do whatever they want and meet back here in 30 minutes. Gazzy and Iggy head in the direction of some restaurant advertising excellent meatballs and peaches. Nudge and Angel joyfully skip over to the house of mirrors. I can't help but notice that the windows are mullioned, like they might be in a church or other fancy place.

"So," Fang breathes his breath on my neck. "What were you saying?"

I turn around to face him without moving away an inch. "I do believe," I whisper back. "You were the one suggesting something?

"Me?" Fang asks, sporting a faux-innocent look with wide eyes and an open mouth.

"Cute," I tell him, although I'm not completely being sarcastic- he actually looks pretty attractive, even with that face.

And then all of sudden, his lips are on mine and everything else flies out the window. At first, his just barely brushes my lips, but then he presses harder until my lips open at the pressure. They gently tug at mine and I almost just melt into a puddle of girly drool. I respond back fiercely, moving my lips and sliding my hands up around his neck. One of my hands somehow makes it to his hair, knotting into it. He makes a noise deep in his throat and then turns his head to kiss down my neck.

His arms around my waist press firmly against my back, pulling me closer. I lean in but stay firm, not wanting to put all my weight on him. His fingers skim down my sides, making me shiver. I pull away and press my lips to his once more, savoring the way they feel against my own.

A loud BOOM makes me jump away from Fang. I look around wildly while trying to stop my blush and pat down my mussed hair at the same time. Fang shoots me a smirk at my wildness and I scowl in response.

I locate the sound of the explosion within seconds. A small trickle of smoke escapes a place a ways off to my right. I break into a sprint, yelling as I go.

"REPORT!"

"Fang, here." Fang replies with sarcasm in his voice but I ignore it. He's most probably just jealous that something else has claimed my attention. Replaying what we just did, I begin to blush all over again. What if someone had seen us? Iggy wouldn't have let me live it down, ever!

"Nudge, Angel, together and fine!" Nudge's voice shouts from behind me. Iggy and Gazzy. Of course. Their lack of reply makes me begin to actually worry. We had just blown up the largest evil corporation in the world- we were bound to have enemies. I should have made sure to be more careful!

I hear a scream that makes me strip my shirt off and jump into flight. Scanning the carnival with my hawk-like vision, I immediately spot the source of the smoke and hurry there. I'm so much faster flying that I make it there in under a minute and even have time to throw my shirt back on before anybody can see me in just my bra.

"Iggy! Gazzy!" I shout, trying to find the problem. There is an abundance of thick heavy smoke and the persisting smell of rubbish. Oh god oh god oh god. I see a scrap of red fabric, similar to the shirt Gazzy had been wearing moments before. But there's no sign of Flyboys or Erasers or white coats- in fact, there's nothing threatening about this place at all- it's a museum tent, displaying the first printing press and daguerreotype.

"Max!" I hear a voice shout. It's Iggy. I wave my hand in front of my face, trying to clear my vision.

"Iggy! Where are you? What's going on?"

A hazy figure stumbles into my line of sight. I rush to him at once.

"Iggy?" I ask again, checking him for signs of a fight or injury.

He swats at my probing hands. "Max, stop. We need to get out. The lions found us."

"What?" I gape at him. "The lions as in the experiment ones that saved us two weeks ago?"

Iggy nods.

I push the information out of my mind to ask a more important question. "Where's Gazzy?"

"Here!" Pipes up a small voice. I turn to see a soot covered Gazzy trip into the small clearing.

"I'm fine," He tells me, sensing that I am about to ask and then check. I nod, but I look him over to double check anyway.

"Okay, so the lions are here?" I ask, back on track.

"Yeah. Gazzy panicked and set of the bomb we were working on," Iggy explains. Gazzy blushes, creating a red and gray masterpiece on his face. "But I guess the lions are based off of the Greek mythology lion, because they're still alive. They survived that explosion without injury. And my guess is that they aren't brainwashed anymore. Unless you've found us a wizard that can whisk them away, we need to leave."

"No," Nudge chimes in before I can make a decision. "They saved our lives."

Angel agrees. "I can convince them to not eat us again. How many are there?"

"Just three," Gazzy answers, which sort of changes things. I exhale in relief. Facing 3 angry man-eating lions and facing fifty of them is quite the difference.

"We stay," Fang says, with a sort of finality to it. Had this happened before, I would be pissed that they're calling the shots. But these last few weeks have proved time and time again that each member of my Flock is not only invaluable, but also incredibly, intuitively, inherently good and smart.

So instead of getting angry, I agree. "Yes, we're staying. Angel, just convince them to not eat us. I'm going to talk to them."

"You're going to talk to the man-eating lions?" Gazzy asks incredulously. When I shoot him an exasperated look, he shrugs. "I just don't want you to get eaten."

I'm oddly touched. "Tell you what. If it appears that they're going to eat us, we'll do an up and away."

He nods, reassured. Right on cue, I hear a lion roar. I kick off with my feet and hover in the air for a brief moment, just above the smoke. It still hadn't cleared completely, although it had definitely become less dense. From the air, I can easily make out the three golden figures. I fly to them and land, Angel right on my heels.

"Hi," I say. I turn to Angel. "Can they understand me?"

"More or less," She answers.

"Hi," I say again. "How are you?"

Angel thought-translates for me. "They said they've been groovy."

I'm taken slightly aback. "Really?"

"Well, one said ravishing," She amends. I nod thoughtfully and then realize that I'm being incredibly rude to these groovy, ravishing lions.

"Good, I'm glad. I can't thank you enough for all your help that day. Without you, we all would have died."

"They say that they're happy they could help, but they don't know what to do now." Angel explains.

I think for a moment. Fang takes over for me.

"Where did the rest of you go?" He asks.

"They all scattered, apparently, but everybody survived."

"I'm not going to tell you what to do," Fang says. "All your lives, people have been doing that to you. Go, live in the forest, the mountains, whatever you want. Live naturally. Just remember that you are heroes. And act accordingly."

The lion in the middle, the one that seems to be leader, growls at Fang. It sounds more like a sound of approval than anger, though, and Angel translates as much.

Abruptly, the lions sprint away from us and back into the cover of the smoke, which is barely there anymore.

"Well," Nudge says. "That went well."

And it had. In a way, I was glad we got to see the lions once more. If there was one thing I hated, it ws owing people, and while there was no way I could ever pay the lions back for saving my life, I could live knowing the fact that just might have helped them gain their freedom. Seeing the lions, though, brings a lot of things to mind.

"You know what, guys?" I say, looking into the eyes of each of my family. "We still have a lot to do."

* * *

><p>I throw the café door open and am immediately swept into hugs.<p>

"Max!" Mattie yells, squeezing me so tightly I can barely breathe. I step back and then hug her all over again.

"Mattie, I've missed you so much!" And I really had. Looking at her again now made me remember the girl who was my roommate for several weeks, but had somehow since then become a true friend. I turn and sweep Julia, Noah, Nate and Sam into hugs as well. For some odd reason, Dylan hadn't bothered to show up.

"What stopped you from calling, then?" Julia asks, punching my shoulder. Nate laughs, not taking his arm off of me.

"You know that strict no out of state phone calls rule the school has," I tease her. "I didn't want to offend Noah the principal's son here."

Noah groans. "Not even two minutes and you're already being so mean to me."

"Mean?" I scoff. "That was nothing. Looks like someone has been babying you." I smirk at Julia, who blushes a deep red. Mattie and Nate had started dating several months ago, but I still had some matchmaking to do.

My friends don't ask me to explain anything. I think Fang, who had arranged this all for me, had already told them I couldn't answer they're questions. Instead, we spent an afternoon bantering and laughing and catching up.

A few hours later, when I see Fang step in through the door, I'm not even sad. Sure, I'll miss these people, but meeting up with them one last time has wrapped up the bow strings. Even if I never see them again, we've ended on a good note.

* * *

><p>My next stop is harder. Going back to New Jersey is hard, especially with all my memories intact. I had never actually played soccer here, although as I walk past the fields, they seem intimately familiar. Still, the idea of seeing yet another friend propels me with excitement.<p>

I knock on Drew's door practically giddy with glee. A few moments pass where I hear no sound from inside the house that signifies someone coming to open the door. But Drew's always been lackadaisical like that. When the door opens, though, I'm in for a shock.

"Max?" Jake Rickson asks me, his mouth literally falling open. He's gotten a haircut since the last time I saw him, and even thought I know I have to thank him for telling Fang and Iggy where I went, my first reaction when I see him is to take a step back.

"Jake," I reply. "Hi." Drew pops out from behind him and tackles me. As soon as we disentangle from each other, she tells me what is up through hushed whispers.

"Jake and I are friends now," She mumbles into my ear.

"You're not…dating, are you?" I ask, stunned.

"No," Drew laughs. "But he's changed some. We're friends."

I nod, taking the information in. "Okay,' I say finally. "I've changed some too."

Drew smiles, a sight so achingly familiar I want to just cry. "Yeah," she responds. "And we're still friends too."

You can't blame me for tearing up at that.

* * *

><p>Walking into my old home is a new experience all together. The constant smell of brownies, the memorable frames hanging down the walls, the sight of an empty space where I used to put my shoes by the door, right in between Anne's and Brooke's. Anne runs up to me, sweeping me into a huge embrace.<p>

"You figured it out," She mutters, her voice muffled by my hair.

"Yeah," I reply, trying to hold back the emotions as I clutch my not-really-mother to me. "Thank you for giving us that clue."

Anne pulls away, her eyes full to the brim with tears.

"No, Max," She says softly, taking my hand. "Thank you for letting me be a part of your life."

That's enough to set me off again.

* * *

><p>"You saw everyone you wanted to?" Fang asks, leaning back on the leather loveseat. I step into our rented apartment slowly.<p>

"Yeah," I reply. "I think that's everyone. How about you?"

"I went to go talk to my foster mom," He tells me. "It didn't last very long. It was awkward."

I nod, suddenly thankful all over again for Mattie and Drew and Anne. I may not have had the easiest of lives, but I can't say that I've ever lacked in people who care about me.

"Where is everyone else?" I ask Fang. Considering that I had been all over America the past few days, visiting and saying goodbye to everybody, I had left Fang in charge. As the ever dutiful second in command, he was now keeping tabs on the rest of the Flock.

"Nudge and Iggy went out to buy dinner," He tells me. "Gazzy and Angel should be back from Oregon any time now, they left there last night."

"It's been almost a day," I frown, noting the sun that was hanging low in the sky "Oregon to Arizona doesn't take that long."

Fang shrugs. "I think it's about time we took it easy."

I smile at my best friend, my soul mate, my right hand man. "Of course," I tell him.

Fang asks me the question I've been trying not to think about. "What about Dr. M? Are you going to visit your real mom, Max?"

I sigh. "I don't know," I answer truthfully. "I don't know what to think of her. Obviously all my memories of her are great ones, but she couldn't have picked up the phone and called once? Or tipped any of us off? It's been 2 and half years, Fang. That's a long time to forget."

Fang nods at me understandingly. "Just give her a chance. We're in town anyway." He scoots over on the sofa and pats the space, gesturing for me to sit. I sit down and curl up into him.

"You're probably right," I say.

"I generally am," He teases, putting his arm around me.

"So, "Fang begins. "It occurs to me that I haven't ever officially asked you this."

"What?" I ask, sitting us so quickly that my neck cricks.

"Max, will you be my girlfriend?" He asks.

I smile. "What if I told you I already have a boyfriend? A tall, dark, winged handsome one?"

"What if I told you I had a pet goldfish when I was 15?" He replies.

I recoil. "What?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Fang says, taking my hand and pulling me closer. "I thought we were talking about things that didn't matter."

When he brushes his lips against my hair, I feel like things are finally on track. I can only hope they stay that way.

"Yes," I whisper to him a little while later in answer to his question. "Always yes."

He smiles.

* * *

><p>"Here's your lemonade, guys!" Gazzy sticks his tongue out as he balances six glasses of lemonade in his hands. I rush up to take them off his hands before he can drop them. Handing one to Nudge and Angel, I sit back down and take a sip of the refreshingly cold juice.<p>

"That is not a word, Nudge," Iggy protests. I look at the scrabble board where, as always, Nudge is beating everybody. What can I say? That girl is a hardcore dictionary reader.

"Sure is, Iggy," I answer. I don't know the word either- costermonger?- but Nudge is on my team, so I'm more inclined to believe her.

"It normally means a fruit stall," Angel explains matter-o-factly.

Iggy throws his hands up in surrender. "Fine. Fine, it's a word."

"Just give in, boys," Nudge tells them. "We're going to win."

"Not if I can help it," Fang challenged, throwing down more scrabble tiles. I struggle to read them upside down- it's not one of my strong suits.

"Crossfade?" I ask him. "That's not a word.'

"Sure it is," He replies easily, smirking at me. I tally up the points in my head – if crossfade counted as a word, the boys would be tied with us- the c was on a triple word score.

"No, that's two words sandwiched together," Nudge complains.

"I could use a sandwich," I mutter, more to myself than anything.

"Yeah, they're called compound words," Iggy defends, ignoring me completely. I get up to go make everybody some lunch- one thing had definitely changed about me- now I could make sandwiches and pizza rolls with burning something or making a huge mess.

As I pull out the cheese from the refrigerator, I stop and watch my family for a second. Still bickering over Fang's choice of Scrabble word, they seemed like a normal enough group. If a stranger were to walk in, they would see a group of regular kids playing Scrabble, eating lunch, and enjoying the holiday.

I lazily slap bread and cheese together and stick it all in the toaster- Iggy taught me how to make grilled cheese just yesterday. Since the timer says 2 and half minutes, I go back to the living room and sit down.

They've moved on, my Flock. Now we're arguing about a different word. I don't even know what word, but I chime in anyway.

"Nudge is right. Angel is right. We're always right. Surrender!" I order.

Gazzy sticks his tongue out at me, letting his inner 6 year old shine through. You know you've bested someone in an argument when they stick their tongue out at you.

"Wasn't it you who taught us to never give up, Max?" Iggy asks cheekily.

I frown at him. "Sometimes you've got to know when to cut your losses."

Fang winks at me, which throws me off guard, so I slap his leg. He punches me back and then we return to using words like normal people.

Except we aren't normal people- we're freaks. I'm okay with that, though. After all, we are the one and only merry band of flying mutants.

THE END.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- And there you have it. 9 months later, we are at the end. Whether you started reading from the beginning or reading just now, I am so incredibly grateful for all of your support. In January, when I started this story, I was awed and thrilled at receiving 10 reviews- now I have over 700 reviews, and almost 200 people of Story Alerts. The though that 200 people might be reading this right now just blows my mind.**

**So thank you, dear reader, for every thing you do! **

**As always, here's to avian-american-supporter. Whether I'm happy, angry, tired or bored, she has always shined through for me. **

**This story will not have a sequel. I loved writing it, but I am done here. I do have an idea for another Maximum Ride story, this one all human, but I won't be writing or posting it until school and sports calm down a little. Add me to author alerts if you're interested in that.**

**And I think that's all I have to say. I can't say this enough, so THANK YOU. Without _you_, and yes, I mean each individual _you_, this story would not have been possible. So one last time, please drop a review?**


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